Perfectly Imperfect
by bowtiesarecool333
Summary: Eponine dreamed of a day when she would stand upon a stage overlooking thousands of people underneath the bright lights of Broadway. Working at the Stardust Diner has gotten her closer to her dream than ever, but she still struggles in making her dream come true. Can Enjolras help her with her dream, or will he get consumed by college? Not if Les Amis have anything to do with it!
1. Stay

**A/N: I'm excited for this new story! This is my second fanfic EVER and hopefully this time everything will be more organized! Disclaimer: I do not own Les Mis yet, but the rights for it would be a **_**really **_**good birthday present wink, wink, nudge, nudge. And yes, it is weird that they all have old French names and they are modern day New Yorkers, but let's just go with it **** Oh and also I don't own Stardust diner, but it's a real place. It's a little different than how I'm describing it. Oh, and I couldn't help it, I made the Les Amis Starkid fans… Or some of them. NO REGRETS. Oh and also see if you can spot the Super 8 reference! This is a NY modern day AU, enjoy! **

Enjolras loved routine so dearly that he craved it. Consistently, he woke up at 6 a.m. every morning, got dressed, grabbed a coffee, arrived early at school, went to the Café Musain to work on homework and grab another coffee, go home, read, eat, sleep, repeat. On the weekends, he liked to hang out with his verging on psychotic friends. Living life in New York was fast paced and it suited Enjolras to a tee with his hundred mile an hour life.

However, when his friends, Les Amis as they called themselves, demanded that he accompany them to this diner with singer waiters that he had never been to before _on a school night_, it was not surprising when he downright refused.

"I have no interest in accompanying you at all," he assured his friends. There was a time when Enjolras lived and breathed song, but he couldn't stand music anymore. As a child, his mother had put him in various pageants and his talent would be singing. He had a nice voice, but his years as a pageant boy soured his taste in music. His uncle was a renown Broadway scout and would often drag him to musicals that he despised as well.

"You should come! Our friend Eponine is a waiter there, and it would be nice if we _all _went to go hear her sing. You remember Eponine, right?" Grantaire asked. Enjolras stared his friend down.

"I do not recall an Eponine," Enjolras shrugged. He hardly paid attention to anyone in the female gender, it was expected that he would forget Eponine. They had never formally met anyways, to him she was probably just part of the background; always there but never important enough to stand out.

"You would probably recognize her face. C'mon, will you just come with us?" Courfeyrac begged. They were all worried for Enjolras; he was the brightest guy they knew but he was destined to die a single cat man or something. Enjolras hadn't been on a date since... ever, and he would never take a break from studying that was long enough that actually allowed him to meet a girl.

"There is a major history test in three days, if I go to dinner tonight do you think I will pass it?" Enjolras asked irritated.

"Of course you're gonna pass the test- with flying colors too," Combeferre said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"No, I'm not going," Enjolras deadpanned. Les Amis groaned simultaneously when Enjolras buried his nose in his textbook.

"Up we go, big boy," Grantaire said, literally dragging Enjolras out of his chair and across the floor. Enjolras was not amused.

"Get off me! I demand you stop this at once!" Enjolras snarled yanking himself away from his friend. Grantaire shrugged at his friends as though to say 'I tried.'

"Let's compromise, then. You can bring your textbook to the diner and study there. We are going to support Eponine, and you should too. Even though you don't know her, you should at least try. She's our friend too," Joly sighed. Enjolras took a moment to eye each one of his friends' hopeful faces. He slammed down his textbook in defeat.

"If I get less than an 'A' on this test, I will come back and personally murder all of you. This is college, my friends; we can't afford to slack off!" he scolded pushing in his chair. Triumphantly, the Les Amis swaggered out of the café with Enjolras scowling after them.

"Do you know what songs Eponine is going tonight?" Legles asked.

"No, she never tells us!"

"I hope she took my suggestion of 'It's Raining Men.' That would be freaking beautiful," Grantaire laughed.

"I told her to sing 'Stutter' from A Very Potter Musical."

"What the _actual heck _is A Very Potter Musical."

"Don't worry about it, she refused to sing it anyways."

Enjolras could already feel the headache coming on. He did love his friends as though they were his brothers, but sometimes he just wished they would leave him alone. Their intentions may have been good, but Enjolras wanted nothing more than to sit at the café and study.

"Don't worry, it is a short walk to the Stardust Diner."

Enjolras just grumbled in response. It was getting colder outside, and the crisp air hit Enjolras square on causing him to wrap his red sweatshirt tightly around him. Weak bits of sunlight poured over the tall buildings as the sun began to set casting long shadows. Enjolras knew where the Stardust Diner was, he had past it many times previously, but never had he dined there before. It had always seemed loud and obnoxious to him.

"Enjolras, stop being such a grouch! Loosen up a little bit!" Bahorel scolded.

"Be glad I am coming. Couldn't this wait for the next weekend after our history test?" Enjolras whined.

"There's always going to be another test or quiz or project. Just live in the moment and suck it up. You're going to love the Stardust Diner," Grantaire assured.

Five minutes of walking later, they finally arrived at their destination. Thankfully, there wasn't a line yet since they had arrived early enough, and the group was promised a seat almost immediately. Enjolras' scowl deepened as he stood under the bright and irritating neon colors in the sign that read Ellen's Stardust Diner. They entered a door that led to a waiting area that was placed before another door that led to the restaurant.

Grantaire had his face pressed against the window of the second window and tried to peek inside.

"Look, Eponine's singing!" he shouted excitedly. All of Les Amis lit up and anxiously entered the restaurant to hear their friend sing. Enjolras reluctantly followed them inside with his nose still buried in his text book. However, the second he passed through the threshold and the sound of music reached his ears, Enjolras slowly lowered his book to pay full attention to the girl singing. The song, Copacabana, was already more than halfway finished. The girl, Eponine he supposed, looked about his age with long dark curls cascading down her back and bright pink star shaped sunglasses on top her head. She wore a uniform of black shorts and a pink shirt with a single, thin black stripe stretching from the top to bottom of the shirt. Her scuffed up black converse balanced on the top of the booths in the center of the room that she used as a makeshift stage. Listening to her voice, Enjolras couldn't recall hearing anything more entertaining. She was truly a talented singer, but she did lack the passion that was necessary to be a star. The song didn't reach her eyes and her smile looked somewhat fake. Whenever she opened her mouth to sing, Enjolras noticed that dimples formed in her cheeks. Now that he thought about it, her face did look quite familiar; he recognized her from the café.

Eponine looked down and noticed Les Amis sitting behind her she winked at them but made no other signs of acknowledgment. She finished the song about the Copacabana and earned a respective applause from her audience. The atmosphere of the diner was upbeat, but Enjolras thought it was mostly annoying.

"Before George sings next, I would like to talk a little about our waiters. Every single staff member working here who is wearing this fun outfit has an extraordinarily talented voice, if I do say so myself. We are all aspiring Broadway performers who are starting out here as we audition for various roles. Over the last couple years we have sent 15 singing waiters off to Broadway to fulfill their dreams, and hopefully some of us will follow them there!" she exclaimed, flashing a disarming grin. Eponine hopped down from the booths with her Converse landing on the floor with a thud.

"Hey boys, I'm glad you made it!" Eponine said with a hopeful smile as she approached Les Amis.

"We wouldn't miss it for the world, Ep. You were fantastic," Courfeyrac flirted. Eponine rolled her eyes at him and Enjolras bopped Courfeyrac on the head, yet his eyes never left his textbook. It was a talent of his.

"Thank you. Have you all decided what you want to drink?" she asked clicking her pen. All the boys nodded thirstily, they did have to walk a long distance to get to the diner after all. The boys voiced their orders, and Eponine scribbled them down quickly.

"I think we are ready to order as well," Combeferre said, and everyone grunted in agreement. Around Enjolras, the boys were calling out their orders left and right, but Enjolras hadn't looked at the menu yet. Quickly, his eyes snapped downward as he surveyed the options. This restaurant literally had everything from burgers to pizza to tacos to Buffalo wings.

"Um… I'll have the chicken pot pie," Enjolras said quickly when it was his turn. Eponine was about to move on to the next boy for the next order, but she paused when she saw Enjolras.

"Wait a second! Wait a hot second, have I met you before?" she asked Enjolras with genuine curiosity.

"I don't believe I've ever properly met you, but I've seen you at the Café Musain before. I'm friends with these creeps," Enjolras explained.

"Oh, well, I'm Eponine," she said with an even brighter smile.

"I'm Enjolras."

"And I'm Grantaire. Now Eponine stop talking to Enjolras, he's the most boring stick I've ever met, and get on with our orders. I'm hungry!"

"Careful, never sass the person who handles your food," Eponine threatened Grantaire.

"There are health regulations! Eponine you cannot joke about something like that!" Joly shouted. Eponine sent him a death glare that shut him up.

Eponine shifted her attention away from Enjolras to take the next Amis' order.

Later, when everyone was finishing eating, it was Eponine's turn to sing again. Enjolras, for the first time since he had ordered his food, looked up from his textbook to watch her. This time Prouvaire had selected the song, and knowing him it was probably something stupid like 'The Last Unicorn' or 'The Window.' The music started and Eponine began to tap her foot, and Enjolras realized the song wasn't that stupid at all.

_All along it was a fever  
A cold sweat hot-headed believer  
I threw my hands in the air, said show me something  
He said, if you dare come a little closer__  
__Round and around and around and around we go  
Ohhh ohhh now tell me now tell me now tell me now you know  
__  
_

With his mouth on the ground, Enjolras couldn't believe the change in the girl before him. She had sounded great during 'Copacabana,' but something changed within her when she sang 'Stay.' No longer was she singing with her voice, but with her heart instead. She was completely wrapped up in the slow pace of the song, and she wasn't acting for this song; her emotions were 100% real. Enjolras involuntarily blushed when Eponine stared at him for a second too long as she sang. Unfortunately for him, most of Les Amis noticed this.

"Did the marble man just blush?" Grantaire whispered just low enough so Enjolras couldn't hear. Combeferre just laughed it off thinking Grantaire was making a joke. However, Prouvaire grinned smugly when he noticed his friend did indeed have a blush creeping up his neck and colored the tips of his ears and cheeks thanks to _his _song selection. He hadn't meant to make Enjolras blush or anything; Prouvaire just honestly loved the song.

_Not really sure how to feel about it  
Something in the way you move  
Makes me feel like I can't live without you  
It takes me all the way  
I want you to stay _

Enjolras felt like a child gazing longingly at a desirable toy, and he knew he probably looked ridiculous, yet he didn't quite care. There was something special about Eponine's voice that circled around him and mesmerized him. It was soft but rough, passionate yet gentle.

_Oohh the reason I hold on  
Oohh cause I need this hole gone  
Funny you're the broken one but I'm the only one who needed saving  
__Cause when you never see the light it's hard to know which one of us is caving___

"I didn't know the quiet girl in the corner of the café could sing so well," Enjolras commented to anyone who was listening.

"What did we tell you? Aren't you glad you we made you come?" Courfeyrac asked. Enjolras just nodded in response and then went silent so he could listen to the song.

_Not really sure how to feel about it  
Something in the way you move  
Makes me feel like I can't live without you  
It takes me all the way  
I want you to stay..!  
Stay...__I want you to stay, oohh oohh___

There was one silent second when the last note faded into nothing before the entire diner burst into ear shattering plaudits, Enjolras clapping louder than most.

"Did you enjoy that song, Prouvaire? Tell me, did I do Rihanna justice?" Eponine asked lightly. Prouvaire shook his head enthusiastically.

"You sang that a million times better than Rihanna! No offense, Rihanna," Prouvaire responded eagerly. Eponine looked pleased at the comment. All the Amis congratulated her, with the exception of Enjolras who had his nose buried in his textbook again. Typical Enjolras. Yet, his actions seemed forced, in a way, as though it were so routine for him to read that his neck had starting to bend that way.

"I think Enjolras liked the song, and I'm sure he would tell you good job if he could pull his nose out of his textbook," Grantaire said rolling his eyes. Enjolras had submerged himself in the ancient world of France from an era long before his own, and had blocked out everything around him.

"Gosh, he looks so boring. Do you guys ever get tired of him?" Eponine teased as she attempted the balance her pen between her lips and nose. If Enjolras heard the comment, he didn't acknowledge it. Even though he thought her singing voice was the most alluring and angelic sound he had ever heard, he labeled Eponine overall unimportant and therefore stopped paying attention to her.

"You have no idea!" Grantaire laughed, slapping Enjolras on the back. Enjolras didn't even flinch; he was the man of marble after all.

"Are you guys ready for the check?" she asked quickly when she saw the head waiter glaring at her for taking too long. The boys nodded and Eponine scampered away.

"Enjolras, you were being rude… again," Prouvaire sighed as he turned to face his friend. He groaned when he realized Enjolras hadn't even been listening to him. He had to repeat his sentence twice before Enjolras finally looked up.

"I was being rude when?" he asked with slight indifference in his voice. Prouvaire just shook his head.

"While you were off in la la land, you completely ignored Eponine after her performance. You should have said _something _to congratulate her or thank her for her music," Grantaire explained briefly. Enjolras just offered the man a semi-death glare and returned to his reading.

"I tried, I tried. I just thought maybe Eponine had started to crack through his guarded exterior- I mean did you see him blush?- and I thought _maybe _he would finally get a happy ending with a woman. And God knows Eponine deserves love in her life after all the hardships she has gone through," Grantaire commented to be greeted with grunts of approval from the other Les Amis.

"Eponine's voice can have that effect on people, making them momentarily let down their guards, but I think we were just reading too much into it. Remember little Enjolras' singing days as a child? Those days have taught him to appreciate good, live music," Combeferre added, chuckling at the thought of seven year old Enjolras being forced to participate in pageants by his overbearing mother. He and Grantaire did them together, but unlike Enjolras, Grantaire _chose _to take part in them.

"Hey, those pageants were fun!" Grantaire defended. "We got to dress up and sing songs and win prizes!"

Les Amis weren't sure if he was being serious or not, but they all cracked up at the thought of Grantaire and Enjolras prancing around a stage singing 'Kumbaya.' Those two had a messed up childhood.

"I am thankful every day that my mother never made me go to a pageant," Courfeyrac shuddered.

"Haters gonna hate," Grantaire snapped.

"Potatoes gonna potate," Bahorel added stupidly.

Eponine returned to the table with a check in hand to hear a conversation about how pageants were actually a good way to spend one's time.

"And the girls at the pageants sent my little seven year old heart fluttering!" Grantaire bellowed.

"Should I be worried?" Eponine asked as she cautiously set the check down.

"No, they are always like this," Enjolras spoke surprising everyone.

"So he can talk!" Eponine exclaimed sarcastically.

"You know I can talk, I talked to you earlier," Enjolras deadpanned. Sometimes he was so painfully clueless it was embarrassing.

"I see…" she said slowly before walking away.

"You're an idiot," Joly stated.

"Unlikely; I am the most intelligent one here," Enjolras said dismissively.

"Are you joking? Enjolras, you're embarrassing us in front of Eponine! She may seem kind of normal right now, but she's actually the scariest woman I know. She will have no problem viciously murdering you," Combeferre whispered worriedly.

"I'll make the pain last as long as possible," Eponine added seriously as she reappeared at the table.

"Jesus, Ep! You scared me!" Combeferre said looking concerned for his life.

"I do have that effect on people don't I? Speaking of ruthlessly murdering people, Grantaire, you have exactly three days to return my sonic screwdriver or I will find you and kill you and eat your firstborn child," Eponine threatened. Grantaire laughed, unfazed by her menacing tone.

"I'll bring it back to you, I promise," Grantaire laughed casting Eponine a mock terrified glance as she left with the check.

"I am starting to understand why you think she is frightening," Enjolras commented with a bored tone. Feuilly nearly jumped ten feet out of his chair upon hearing Enjolras speak.

"Has he been here the whole time?" Feuilly squeaked.

"Yes, I've been hear the whole time," Enjolras said rolling his eyes.

"Your obsession with studying, and I'm saying this as a friend, _concerns me_... and my mother," Prouvaire said drawing his eyebrows together.

"Whatever. I can't believe I am admitting this to all of you, but I have to say I actually somewhat enjoyed myself tonight, so congratulations," Enjolras said shrugging. Les Amis whopped and hollered at what they considered a success. Little did they know this was the start of a whole new epoch for Enjolras, and the man we all know and love (but sometimes hate) is dying and a whole new man will emerge from the ashes ready to conquer the world.

**Line Break**

Grantaire didn't even try to suppress his smirk when he read the text that Eponine sent him.

_Ep: Who was that guy who came with u to the diner? I forgot his name_

"Who are you texting to make you grin like that?" Courfeyrac asked Grantaire as he shoved him playfully. Grantaire looked up and flashed him the screen before replying. The two of them were at a bar, their go to spot on the weekends. Courf, being the flirt that he was, seemed to be talking up every girl that batted an eye in his direction. Unfortunately, nothing was working out for him.

"I was just texting Ep, and I think a certain marble man caught her eye! I've been hoping forever that someone _good _would-"

Courfeyrac snorted cutting Grantaire off. "I don't think Eponine is interested in him," he said pointing it to the screen, alit with a text.

_Ep: Oh well I saw him at the café and he was studying. On a weekend. Then I asked him about it and he started yelling at me for _not _studying and I told him he was boring and he blew up in my face. Your friend sucks! How can you stand him?_

"Ouch," was all Grantaire had to say.

**A/N: Enjolras is a goober. I hope you enjoyed the start to my new story! Feel free to PM just to chat about Les Mis or even another fandom like Starkid or Doctor Who or Sherlock or Harry Potter or something I love to fangirl with others (I don't bite…). Thanks and see ya next chapter hopefully! Oh, and did you guys see the Super 8 reference? Anyways, I wasn't going to post this for another week but I decided to post it now, and I might be able to post the next chapter tomorrow or so but after that nothing will be up for a week **** sad stuff. Oh well, HAPPY SUMMER! **


	2. Bright Lights in the Big City

**A/N: See if you can spot the Sherlock reference! I don't own Sherlock or Les Mis! And I don't really know where taxis go at night, but I'm just going with what I put…**

Eponine groaned and rummaged through her purse. When she located the small bottle of Advil, she quickly snatched it up and dry swallowed two little pills. She would have killed for some water, but she would have to carry out her father's dirty doings first. Her father, Thenardier, was New York's scummiest, lousiest cab driver that had ever lived. He had amassed thousands of luggage bags, umbrellas, hats, and coats over the years. Once he took a child, but he was so disarming with the parents when he eventually returned him that the parents understood… to a certain degree. Unfortunately, this time, Thenardier managed to snag a Louis Vuitton suitcase that had a precious diamond necklace inside. The disgruntled owner quickly snapped a picture of Thenardier's license plate _and _a blurry picture of Thenardier himself. When Thenardier caught wind from a spy of his inside the police force, he immediately called his daughter, Eponine, and demanded her to switch license plates and take over his job for the next week, just to be safe.

Eponine was furious. She hated driving the taxi more than anything. It stripped her freedom of wind in her hair and the ground beneath her feet. It rankled Eponine endlessly that after all this, Thenardier expected her to bring home at least $150 at the end of the day, which was a steep price. Eponine had to miss her own job at the Stardust diner for this! Work was fun for her, and she missed it immensely. It had always been her dream to be a Broadway star, and the stage was her home. Eponine was done driving people around, but she was still $50 short. Oh well, she could always pull another $50 out of her own wallet. The bottom line was: Eponine had a migraine and was in a horrid mood and she was _not _driving anyone else tonight. Determined, she raced to the taxi station to turn in the car for the night.

With 'Radioactive' blasting from her radio, Eponine sang along so loud that she couldn't hear anything else. Plus, she had the privacy shield up. So, when a certain blond man hopped into her cab when she was paused at a red light and demanded that he take her to some fancy restaurant that was about 15 minutes away if you took a cab, she didn't hear him.

"_I raise my flag, don my clothes, it's a revolution, I suppose. We're painted red to fit right in, whoa," _she sang so loud that the man thought his ear drums might explode.

"Excuse me! I need to get to Le Bernardin! Excuse me!" the man shouted, pounding on the glass desperately. Eponine was none the wiser. Suddenly, the man ceased his pounding for a moment as he let himself recognize Eponine's voice. "Eponine! It's Enjolras! Remember me? I'm friends with Les Amis! Are you freaking kidnapping me?" he projected. He tried to open the privacy shield, but it was jammed shut. Finally, in the precious moments of silence after 'Radioactive' ended, Eponine finally heard the steadfast banging on the window. Startled that she wasn't alone in the car, Eponine yanked open the shield and was eye to eye a red faced man. She knew him immediately.

"What the heck, Enjolras?" she snapped at the man. Enjolras just stared at her dumbfounded.

"I just hopped into a cab. I need to get to a dinner with my parents who are visiting," Enjolras explained exasperatedly. Eponine groaned.

"Could you not see that I have my break light thing on that means I _am not accepting passengers,_" Eponine seethed.

"No, I-"

"Ugh, of course you didn't see it. And I have a terrible headache and I owe my father $50 or else he'll…" Eponine's voice faded immediately when she realized what she had just said. Enjolras' eyes widened and urged her to continue, but Eponine remained quiet.

"Or else what?" Enjolras prodded, but Eponine shook her head. Seeing that she would not say anything else, Enjolras changed the topic. "I thought you were a waitress, now you are a taxi driver too?"

"Yes," Eponine said through gritted teeth.

"Do you still work at the Stardust diner though?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Why are you driving a taxi then?"

"Yes."

"Are you just going to say yes to everything I ask?"

"Maybe."

Enjolras groaned in frustration; talking to Eponine almost as impossible as getting a toddler to do what you wanted them to. Enjolras didn't know why he wanted to know this girl, but something within him stirred when he spoke to her and he yearned to know more about her.

"You said you owed your dad money… Why?" he asked, resurfacing the topic once more.

"Why should I tell you?"

"Because I care."

Eponine looked at him incredulously. Out of all the years in her life, nobody has _ever _cared about Eponine's woes. She understood now that Les Amis did care for her overall wellbeing, but none of them had ever questioned her if she showed up with a new scar or bruise. No one had ever voiced their concern for her, and Enjolras sounded genuine.

"Yeah right, you only care about your studying," Eponine said pushing him away. "Your stone heart is incapable of caring. Anyways, I just met you! I wouldn't tell you anything." Enjolras looked offended at her words, but Eponine assumed it wasn't real. He just wanted an answer out of her.

"Why do you owe your dad money?" he demanded harshly. His tone had gotten 10 degrees colder since he last spoke.

"Fine! Fine. If you really want to know, I'll tell you. Sorry if I bore you to tears with tales of my miserable life. Just don't tell the cops on my dad. When he was picking up this aristocrat from the airport, the second they dumped their luggage in his taxi, he floored it and drove off with their suitcase. The woman got some pictures first, and my dad wants me to cover for him for about a week to let this blow over. He changed his license plate, and now he is putting together disguise and fake ID for himself to start over again. He told me that every day I better bring home $150 or… let's just say I would be wearing long sleeve and pants for a while," Eponine spat bitterly.

"Why would you be wearing long… OH! Eponine! Is your father beating you?" he asked worriedly. Eponine looked at him strangely for a moment before returning her attention to the road.

"No duh, Sherlock," she snapped. "It's okay, if I bring the money, I'll be fine. I'm just gonna take money out of my earnings." Eponine talked about the delicate subject so stoically that Enjolras knew she was hiding her pain.

"I think- Wait a second. Where are we going? I need to get to Le Bernardin!" Enjolras said suddenly remembering why he was in the cab in the first place.

"Really? I was just gonna… Whatever. I'll take you there," Eponine said flatly, cranking up the radio to drown out the quietness. They fell into an uncomfortable silence that made Eponine stress out a bit. Normally, she liked to talk to her passengers and see how much she could freak them out before she had to drop them off. Something was telling her _not _to try that with Enjolras.

Not soon enough, Eponine dropped off her unwelcome passenger. She told him what he owed her, but was surprised when he handed her a fifty dollar bill and whispered, "Keep the change."

She rode home in relief that night. Even though she hated charity, this was one of the occasions when she would accept it. Maybe it was because she was exhausted, maybe because she didn't want another beating, or maybe it was because something beautiful had reflected in Enjolras' eyes when he handed her the money, Eponine didn't know. And tonight, she didn't care enough to figure it out. Sighing, she watched Enjolras figure retreat, but she quickly sped away when he turned around and caught her eye.

**Line Break**

Enjolras had done it. He had convinced all the Les Amis to join him for a study group in the café. Some of them, like Grantaire, were so close to failing it made his teeth grit. Groaning and whining, everyone was practically falling asleep in their textbooks. And by another small miracle, Grantaire and Courfeyrac had gotten Eponine (with little persuasion, actually) to tag along. Technically, yes, she was in college, but she did miss a lot of classes. It wasn't her fault, really. She only skipped when she had to work at the diner. She had thought it was a good idea to get some extra study time with the smartest guy in the grade, but now she was wondering if it was actually possible to die of boredom.

"Eponine, how could you not remember the quadratic formula? I know that you aren't a math major or anything, but you still need to know the basics!" Enjolras snapped, and in the process, causing Eponine to jump and slide her elbows off the table and face plant. Seething, she hoisted herself upright to face Enjolras.

"I don't give a crap about math. I just want to go back to work. I don't see why I can't just drop out of college; I already know what I want to do with my life _and _I have a job," Eponine said rolling her eyes. Les Amis all secretly admired her; none of them had the courage to speak crossly to Enjolras when he was in his study mode. Enjolras didn't say a word to Eponine after that, he just icily swept over her. Eponine couldn't help but notice he acted so differently around his friends, more guarded and secure. He even looked happier around them, but it seemed a forced happiness. Eponine wondered why it was that way.

After a frustrating study session, Les Amis rapidly tucked away their books and raced off to a bar to clear their minds, leaving Eponine and Enjolras behind. The second the last Amis walked out the door, Enjolras' mask crumpled and set into a frown.

"Why are you sad?" Eponine asked simply and innocently, not unlike a child. Her wide brown eyes were curious and she chewed on her lip. Enjolras' neck jolted upwards in surprise as though he didn't know she was still there.

"I thought you had left," Enjolras stated, confirming Eponine's suspicions. She just laughed; he was really oblivious sometimes.

"Nope… Why are you sad, though? You can trust me. I may not be good for much in this world, but I am a good listener. And a good observer. I've seen you; I mean, I have _really _seen you, not just the marble man that everyone knows. You always look sad when you they can't see you and you are by yourself. Why are you upset?" Eponine asked again, plopping down next to him. Enjolras fixed his cold eyes onto her, his guard settling into place again briefly.

"You can see me," he grumbled. Eponine just shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't count," she whispered. She knew Enjolras thought nothing of her, she could tell by his body language and the way he spoke to her. Her main talent other than singing was reading people.

"Don't say that; everyone counts," Enjolras said, but he was lying.

"Tell the truth. Are you happy?" Eponine asked. Enjolras sighed as sagged forward. Some of his guard slipped as he did so.

"No."

"Why not?"

"Why would I tell you?"

"Why not?"

Enjolras exhaled; Eponine was almost as persistent as he.

"Because."

"Because why?"

"BECAUSE I SAID SO!"

"Why?"

"God, you are _just _as frustrating as a child. Can you stop asking questions?"

"No."

"I'm not going to talk anymore," Enjolras said coldly before returning to his notes. Eponine decided now would be a good time to throw spitballs at him.

"Stop it."

"No."

"I. Said. Quit. It. _Now._"

"Why are you sad? I can tell what it's like to feel like the entire world is against you, to have lost the ability to trust anyone. I practice smiling in a mirror. My own family hates me, and they hurt me mentally and physically. You know that about me, why can't you tell me what's wrong with you?" Eponine pressed.

"Lately, my father has been stressing me out a lot. He keeps telling me that my own mother thinks I'm a disgrace, and he tells me I am destined to go soft and crumble. He doesn't understand why I think charity is so important, and he _really _doesn't like how I fight for students' rights. My friends are all idiots, and I do… love them like brothers, I suppose… they don't realize how easy they have it. Being marble all day can wear you down, and I suppose I am really not happy inside. I don't feel like I am living life to the fullest. I want to make a change in the world, and… I'm not," Enjolras admitted. Eponine looked at him with concern and empathy in her eyes.

"I know what you mean. I feel the same way, about not living life to the fullest. I have always wanted to be a Broadway star, but I'm stuck as a waitress with an abusive father and no friends," Eponine muttered.

"You have friends. Les Amis are your friends," Enjolras assured her, but Eponine shrugged.

"It's out of pity, I'm sure," she said, her voice not above a whisper.

"Don't say that, I know they love you. They can't go five minutes without mentioning you some way or another. I could be your friend too though, if you wanted," Enjolras offered. Eponine looked up at him and giggled.

"Look at us, we sound like two year olds. But yes, of course we can be friends. It's nice to have a true friend. And there is _no _charity or pity involved, got it?" Eponine said, her tone a bit lighter. Enjolras smiled, a real smile this time not his usual marble smile, and stood up.

"I'm going to go home now, it's getting late. I will see you later… friend," he said testing out the word 'friend.' It was weird for him, to have a female friend. He had always tried to avoid them because of their insecurities and sketchy attitudes, but Eponine was different, somehow.

**Line Break**

"No, Uncle Jack. I really do not want to see Mamma Mia. Like, I _really, really _don't want to see it," Enjolras argued on the phone with his uncle. Les Amis were cracking up as they watched their flustered leader yelling at his uncle, trying to worm his way out of seeing Mamma Mia.

"I don't care! No, I really don't! I'm not going, and that's final," Enjolras snapped with finality. Grantaire sniggered into his drink, and Bahorel wacked his head.

"Shut up, if he catches you laughing at him, he will have your head!" Bahorel whispered urgently.

"He's so lucky. I wish _my _uncle was a Broadway talent scout. Then, I would be able to go to all the musicals! I don't know why Enjolras keeps complaining about it," Courfeyrac grumbled.

"No, I don't have a girlfriend to bring! Or a friend!" Enjolras shouted.

"Bring me!" Courfeyrac whispered hopefully, but Enjolras didn't hear.

"No! Ask someone else! I don't know why you want me to go so bad!" Enjolras groaned. "Bye, Uncle Jack. See you later." Enjolras shoved his phone into his pocket and angrily stormed up to Les Amis.

"Mamma Mia?" Grantaire burst out laughing.

"Stop it! Jack always wants to take me to musicals, and I _never _want to go. Wicked is the only one I have actually enjoyed so far," he sighed.

"I could go with or uncle or something?" Courfeyrac offered, but Enjolras glared at him.

"You know, Eponine loves Broadway and it's her dream to be a Broadway star. You could always take her as a friend, I'm sure she would love that. She can't afford to go, so getting in for free would be a big deal to her," Prouvaire spoke up.

"Oh yes, she's mentioned that before," Enjolras mused.

"Of course she wants to be on Broadway, you idiot! She works at the Stardust diner!" Grantaire said, and Enjolras mentally slapped himself.

"I can call my uncle back and ask if he could take her with you, Courfeyrac. I know both of you love the theater," Enjolras shrugged.

"OH PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE!" Courfeyrac begged, and Enjolras almost smiled.

"I just said I would."

Later that week, when Enjolras slipped a ticket to Mamma Mia into her old battered up copy of _Great Gatsby _replacing it with her bookmark, he couldn't help but wonder how Eponine would react. Hurriedly, he ran out of the café and watched from outside, and he laughed when Eponine started to scream out of happiness. She clutched the ticket and tried to look around to see who left it there. She glanced outside and her brown eyes connected with Enjolras' blue ones. The smile that he had on his face was genuine, the second real smile Eponine had ever seen from him, and she immediately knew that he had left the ticket. She gave him a nod of thanks, and then turned away.

**A/N: I will have the next chapter up in a week or so! I hope you enjoy the story so far!**


	3. Dancing Queen

**A/N: Totally unintentional, I decided to use Mamma Mia for the Broadway play because who doesn't love Mamma Mia? I wanted Cosette to be in the musical as Sophie and I knew Eponine would be jealous of her success on Broadway and then Marius falling in love with her, but I totally forgot that in the movie version Sophie was played by Amanda Seyfried! Coincidence? Haha. **

"That was the best thing ever!" Eponine squealed when she, Courfeyrac, and Enjolras' Uncle Jack left the 'Mamma Mia.' Courfeyrac hummed in agreement.

"Yes, I agree, it was quite good. I think the girl who played Sophie had a true talent that only certain people possess," Uncle Jack said. Eponine's smile slipped for a moment when she remembered who played Sophie. It was some blond girl who did indeed have an amazing voice, and she was about Eponine's age. Eponine felt jealousy shoot through her; this girl was living Eponine's dream. The program had said her name was Cosette. Eponine had an uneasy feeling; this Cosette girl felt quite familiar and Eponine felt guilt towards the girl.

"She was pretty good," Eponine admitted. "I actu-"

"Eponine, is that you? Hey Courfeyrac!" some guy shouted as he walked toward them. Eponine spun around and smiled when she saw Marius approaching them.

"Marius! I didn't know you were here!" Eponine said, an involuntary blush spreading across her cheeks. She had always fancied him; his good looks could be seen from miles in any direction.

"Yes, my grandfather helped fund…" without warning, Marius trailed off and his eyes eagerly flickered toward someone exiting the building. Eponine turned around to see what Marius was looking at, and her heart sunk when she saw the perfect blonde girl named Cosette hugging an older man who must have been her father.

"Who is that girl?" Marius asked in wonderment, as though he couldn't believe that such a flawless creature could even exist. Eponine, in horror, brought her eyes back to Marius.

"That's Cosette. She was Sophie," she said trying to hide her disappointment. Cosette broke away from her father and looked straight at Marius and waved.

"I'm in love," Marius said soulfully. "I must talk to her. Excuse me." He pushed Eponine and Uncle Jack out of the way and went to talk to the girl. Eponine stared incredulously after him.

"Well, your friend seems to be… well he doesn't…. What's wrong with him?" Uncle Jack wondered aloud staring after Marius. "He wasn't serious when he said he was in love with her, was he?"

"With Marius, anything goes," Courfeyrac shrugged. He was unaware of Eponine's feelings for him. With her hard demeanor, Eponine was quite skilled at hiding her emotions. Les Amis always never really recognized that Eponine was capable of having feelings since she could be so cold and hard to scare. They took for granted that she was indeed a woman who could love or be in pain. Brave and fearless were often qualities attributed to Eponine, and she took pride in that. She would be damned the moment anyone thought her to be soft. In a way, she was proud of her scars and toughness; it defined who she was. She may love Marius, but he would _never _change that, and she would not show weakness.

"Interesting… Anyways, I had a lovely evening with the two of you. Maybe sometime soon we can see another musical together; Enjolras is a stick in the mud and never does anything with me. He mentioned to me that you wanted to be a Broadway star, Eponine. Do you like to sing?" Uncle Jack asked, and Eponine's eyes lit up again.

"Oh yes, sir. Singing is my main passion. I think that music makes the world go 'round," Eponine said earnestly. She briefly glanced over to Marius and Cosette conversing, and envy coursed through her as the two of them shook hands.

"Hm, maybe one day I'll be watching _you _perform. I would like to listen to you sometime," Uncle Jack said. Eponine nodded eagerly and thanked him.

"Well, I'd best be off. Good night Eponine, and good night Courfeyrac," Uncle Jack said before he left to flag down a cab.

"I should get going too. Night, Ep! Do you want me to take you home?" Courfeyrac asked, but Eponine quickly shook her head.

"No! No. I'll be fine," Eponine said.

"Are you sure? It's kind of late, and everyone would kill me if you got hurt," Courfeyrac said with seriousness in his voice.

"You can't take me home; I'll be fine," Eponine stammered quickly.

"Now that I think about it, I never actually have been to your home before. Where do you live?" Courfeyrac asked. Eponine groaned; she was hoping he wouldn't ask her that.

"I live in this really cheap apartment building, and if you went there it might freak you out. I have to pay my dad most of the money I earn, so my apartment is in a really sketchy area. I don't wanna risk taking you over there," Eponine admitted. Courfeyrac eye's widened.

"I didn't know you lived in a bad place! Spend the night with us, I insist. I share an apartment with Enjolras and Grantaire, and I am _sure _they wouldn't mind. Just one night, okay?" Courfeyrac asked.

"It's fine! I'm not going to get killed by going to my apartment. It might not be the nicest, but it's fine," Eponine mumbled. Courfeyrac regarded her suspiciously for a moment, but eventually shrugged.

"Okay, okay. Just be safe and don't get hurt," he said.

"You idiot, I have lived there since I met you. I won't get hurt! Don't worry about 'Ponine, she's tough," Eponine said pointing proudly at herself. Courfeyrac shrugged in defeat before walking away from her. Letting out a sigh of relief, Eponine slipped into the darkness of the night.

**Line Break**

The next day, Eponine thought it would be best to text Courfeyrac to let him know she was in one piece. After she accomplished that, she called Enjolras to thank him for the tickets. Now that she thought about it, if Enjolras _hadn't _given her the tickets she wouldn't have ran into Marius in time to watch him fall in love with a stranger after she had been there for him for years! Or what if Enjolras gave Marius tickets as well, and by doing so he had been introduced to Cosette!

"I really appreciated that. You didn't have to give me the tickets, you know," Eponine grumbled when Enjolras picked up.

"You _deserved _to go. Did you like the show?" Enjolras asked not picking up on Eponine's dismay. Eponine nodded meekly, but felt immensely stupid when she realized he couldn't see her.

"Yeah, I did," she said shaking her head at her 'cleverness.' "Marius was there, and I think he's now in love with this girl named Cosette. She played Sophie." The resentment and sadness in her voice did not go unnoticed by Enjolras this time. He didn't mention it, though.

"Good for him," Enjolras said briefly. There was an awkward pause; neither person knew what to say. They were still figuring out their 'friendship.' Finally, Eponine gave in and decided that she wouldn't keep secrets from him and she told him how she really felt about Marius.

"It hurts, Enjolras," she sniffles, letting her tough girl personality slip. She had nothing to lose, so she may as well tell all to Enjolras of all freaking people on this planet. Eponine never cried, but a broken heart was finally too heavy a burden to bear on her aching soul. Years of pent up emotions of abuse and rejection finally had gotten to be too much. She could say she sort of trusted Enjolras (which was a big deal to her because she had major trust issues), and she let herself break down. "I liked him. A lot. I could even say I _loved _him, or still love him I guess. But this hurts. I have been there for him for years, and he fell in love with a complete stranger in _one glance."_

Enjolras was stunned; he had never _ever _had to deal with a crying girl before, and he didn't know how to act. What could he say? Sure he and Eponine were friends now, but he didn't recall signing up for this. He was angry with Marius for hurting his friend though. Eponine was a fantastic person, and Marius was too blind to see her!

"I'm sure he doesn't love her after one glance," Enjolras assured Eponine awkwardly. For some reason, the words in his mouth tasted like ash. He knew Marius, and he probably _did _love this girl after one glance. His friend was very… romantic and eager.

"He said so!" she sobbed into the phone. "I didn't let myself cry last night, but I can't hold this in anymore. I'm sorry."

"Hey, don't apologize. Do you want me to come over?" Enjolras asked. His tone wasn't soft or gentle, but somehow it soothed Eponine. He wasn't going to hold back and try to baby Eponine, he understood that she didn't need it. All she needed was someone to listen to her so she could relieve her woes.

"That's okay. I have to go to work, but I'll see you later," Eponine lied. Enjolras' offer was kind, but she didn't really want to see anybody right now. She didn't want him to see her crappy apartment either.

"Okay, bye Eponine," Enjolras said with relief. He happily hung up and even smiled.

"I am so glad that's over. I am terrible with tears and emotions," he muttered to himself.

**A/N: I'm back! If you saw anybody wearing a 'doesn't care about your lonely soul' shirt recently, that was most likely me! If you were one of the people who complimented me on wearing said shirt, you are totally awesome! I got the shirt on Redbubble if anyone wanted to order one for themselves **


	4. Delight

The next day, Marius entered the café with a petit and beautiful blonde on his arm.

"Everybody meet Cosette!" Marius said introducing the girl. _Oh, that's Cosette, _Enjolras thought. _No wonder Eponine doesn't like her; she looks like she would break if you touched her. _Everyone approached the petite woman and shook her hand politely and treated her like a fragile doll. Enjolras nodded at her before he began to finish typing up his essay on the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror. For some odd reason, he felt himself itching to text Eponine about Cosette. He supposed it was because of their newfound 'friendship.' It was still strange to him being such close friends with a female, but he was adjusting. Shaking the thought from his mind, he saved his paper and slammed his laptop shut. He heard his friends mentioning Eponine and he began to eavesdrop intently on their conversation.

"I don't know what to get her for her birthday either! Eponine never tells me what she wants, and she never _seems _to want anything anyways," Combeferre sighed.

"We could get her something she needs," Grantaire suggested.

"She _needs _money, but if we gave her money she would decline it. She doesn't like to be pitied," Prouvaire pointed out. Combeferre and Grantaire agreed in defeat. Enjolras didn't know Eponine's birthday was coming up so soon. He sauntered over to get more information.

"Eponine's birthday is approaching, you say?" he asked.

"Yes, it is on Friday."

"I know she lives in a really bad area, maybe she should move in with me, Enjolras, and Grantaire as her present? Do you think she would go for that idea?" Courfeyrac asked. Les Amis encouraged Courfeyrac to go for his idea, of course, that was until Enjolras stood up and added his two cents.

"This is a big deal! She would have to sell her apartment, we would have to transport her things, there really isn't that much space in the apartment, and there is no way she would want to live with us!" Enjolras argued dampening the mood. Everyone groaned at Enjolras.

"We are all thinking about her safety! And plus, she is friends with us and I am sure she will be fine with it. If you haven't noticed, Eponine doesn't really have that many things so it wouldn't be hard to get them to our house," Courfeyrac said pleadingly.

"No, I put my foot down on this idea. Eponine is too proud of her apartment to move out and she would feel like we are only doing it out of charity. She would appreciate us taking her out to dinner a million times more; she isn't expecting anything and I don't want her to feel uncomfortable," Enjolras said tugging at his collar.

"I like that idea better; good thinking Enjy!" Grantaire declared and Enjolras rolled his eyes at the stupid nickname.

"That's not all we could do, though. Eponine adores Broadway, we could all take her to see 'Wicked.' That is the only show I will tolerate, and I am sure my uncle will be more than pleased to get me tickets," Enjolras suggested.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Are we just going to dismiss the moving in idea?" Courfeyrac asked.

"We could just get her a puppy," Prouvaire suggested.

"Puppy! Puppy! Puppy!" Feuilly chanted.

"We could give her a huge stack of books! Who doesn't love reading?" Jehan asked excitedly. Enjolras groaned.

"I said we-"

"We could write a poem."

"Hand sanitizer. That would be amazing and hygienic and good smelling! We should get her all the different flavors at Bath and Body Works!"

"No way! Let's get her the finest wine in the country! No, forget that, the world!"

"Stop talking, Grantaire. You're drunk."

"No, I'm drunk!" Grantaire protested.

"QUIET!" Enjolras shouted. Some people in the café jumped in surprise, but it had the desired effect on the Amis that Enjolras intended. "My friends, let us not waste time dreaming up all this ridiculous presents. It's not what Eponine would want! Taking her out to a nice dinner and a show would be the best birthday that Eponine could dream of." _Well, it would be the best birthday if Marius suddenly abandoned Cosette and fell in love with her, _Enjolras thought.

"I suppose you are right, after all, you are quite good at understanding people. Where do you think we should take her out to dinner? And are you sure you can get the 'Wicked' tickets?" Combeferre asked.

"I think she would like The View. Their food is good, but their desserts are out of this world! And yes, I am positive I can get the Wicked tickets. Surely you don't doubt me?" Enjolras asked lightly. "Trust me on this."

"Okay, you better make her birthday amazing. Let's keep this a surprise, too!" Bahorel said threateningly.

"Don't worry, I will do everything in my power to make it perfect… well, perfectly imperfect. Nothing around here is ever perfect. But I'm not doing anything really special! I don't have that kind of time! I have school, after all," Enjolras said impatiently.

"Okay, and then we can all get her separate presents as well. I don't know what I should get her," Marius added.

"This girl is lucky to have so many kind friends," Cosette said in her soprano voice. It was so high and sweet that Enjolras found it annoying. Marius beamed down at Cosette as though she were the most amazing thing on this planet. "I wish I had friends like her."

Enjolras found it almost ironic that Cosette was jealous of Eponine when Eponine would trade lives with her in a heartbeat.

**Line Break**

Combeferre had been diligently working in the library all morning, free from distractions. He had a paper due on Monday, and knew he had to finish it because the weekend was drawing to a close. He was just wrapping up when Enjolras came barging in the library and slammed down his laptop.

"Wow, this is a first. Normally you are the one studying quietly in the library and _I, _or one of Les Amis, comes along and disturbs you. So, what brings you here?" Combeferre asked.

"Feel free to call me a genius: I got the reservations and the tickets. All we need to do is keep our mouths shut for the next few days," Enjolras said somewhat excitedly. Combeferre grinned at him and began to plan out the big day.

"I cannot wait to see Eponine's reaction. Remember Grantaire's birthday when we kidnapped him and rented out his favorite bar and invited all his friends? Ooo! Remember Prouvaire's birthday when we kidnapped him and flew all the way to Orlando and took him to Universal to see the Harry Potter World? Or mine, when you guys kidnapped me and shoved me in the limo and we went to Carlos' Bakery and ordered a big cake? Or when we kidnapped Bahorel… Wow we do a lot of kidnapping! I didn't realize it 'til now… We probably shouldn't kidnap Eponine though," Combeferre said thoughtfully.

"Shhh! I need to study!" Enjolras whispered cracking open his book. And now the typical Enjolras returns. Combeferre chuckled as his best friend's attention quickly became trained on his textbook.

"I'll just go talk about this with Grantaire and Courfeyrac. I'm sure I'll find them at the café or somewhere," Combeferre said waving goodbye. Enjolras didn't see, he was too absorbed in his schoolwork.

**Line Break**

For the next week, Les Amis tried their hardest not to act suspicious. Enjolras didn't care enough to go crazy over Eponine's birthday celebration, but others, like Courfeyrac, couldn't be kept in the same room with her in fear of giving away the surprise.

"So, no plans on Friday, right Eponine?" Courfeyrac asked not so casually on Wednesday morning. Eponine eyed him suspiciously; Friday was her birthday. Plus, she _never _had plans other than hanging out with Les Amis. She doubted that Les Amis knew it was her birthday in two days, she hadn't told them about it.

"Of course not," Eponine snorted shoving her unruly black hair into a sloppy bun. Her hair was always out of control, but she liked it. She didn't want perfect, straight hair; imperfections defined Eponine and made her comfortable.

"Good, it's not like we were planning on doing anything different this Friday, pshhh. Like, what? Where did that idea come from? I mean, come on. Stop being crazy, Eponine! Is it hot in here because I am sweating? STOP QUESTIONG ME AND NEVER LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT AGAIN!" he spazzed. This resulted in Grantaire and Bahorel dragging him out of the classroom and force feeding him Dramamine. They weren't exactly sure if the Dramamine would help, but at least it couldn't hurt?

Anyways, in spite of that incident, Courfeyrac was not allowed to go near Eponine until the party. Prouvaire, unfortunately, had a similar excursion with the birthday girl in question. Later that day when Eponine was serving him at the Stardust Diner, his excitement got the best of him.

"I cannot wait for it to be the weekend, ya know? Fridays are the best! I love going out to eat and I _love _going to see Broadway shows, don't you? Wouldn't that sound like the perfect way to spend an evening?" he asked hopefully. Eponine seemed taken aback at his sudden burst of… energy.

"Of course that would be the perfect evening- if I had the money to afford it! Broadway and music are my life, but going out to see a show isn't really a luxury I can have at the moment," Eponine sighed.

"Music is your life? Eponine, stop being so funny! Is your blood made out of music? You could just cut yourself and a song would pour out of your veins! You could be like 'I think I am in the mood for 'Sound of Music' and then you would cut your wrist or something and 'THE HILLS ARE ALIVE WITH THE SOUND OF MUSIC' would just flow out. Broadway, fun stuff. By the way, you don't have any plans for Friday, right?"

And that was how Prouvaire was also banned from Eponine. There were a few close calls with Joly and Feuilly, but they managed to pull through. Enjolras seemed rather uninterested in the party, but Combeferre spent every waking moment planning every little detail. Grantaire had made a habit of disrupting him with his antics.

"I think we should get her the Harry Potter Magic Wand remote. I mean, it's a wand that can work as a remote! Who wouldn't want that?" Grantaire whined.

"I really don't care what you get her, I already have _my _gift picked out and wrapped," Combeferre said impatiently.

"You should get her the Dolphin Power Boat," Grantaire suggested.

"What the actual _hell-_ Never mind I don't want to know. I already told you I got her something, though!" Combeferre sniffed indignantly.

Thursday went by pretty smoothly, but Friday was the worse. Even Enjolras was feeling a little anxious about the party. By now, all of Les Amis except for Enjolras were unable to get near Eponine because the surprise that would happen shortly was just too marvelous for them to even handle. They all wished her a happy birthday that morning but said nothing else all day. Eponine wasn't expecting anything; she was honestly just surprised that they knew her birthday. Perhaps she should have been apprehensive with all the strange behavior going on that Friday with the secretive glances and whispering between Les Amis, but she doubted so greatly that anyone would ever do anything for her birthday that the thought didn't even cross her mind. Before lunch, Eponine began to leave for her shift at the Stardust Diner, but Les Amis wanted her to be within their sight for as much of the day as possible. Fortunately, Enjolras caught her before she left.

"Where are you going?" he asked grabbing onto her backpack before she could get away.

"I'm going to work like always," she shrugged. Enjolras detained her when she attempted to pull away again.

"Not today, it is your birthday! You deserve to have a work free day," Enjolras demanded.

"Work is way more fun than school. Just let me go, Enjolras," she sighed. Enjolras shook his head firmly and Eponine gave in.

"Fine, but you are making my birthday _worse_," Eponine said sadly. "Not like you care. Nobody cares about _my _birthday." Enjolras regarded the broken girl.

"Les Amis care about your birthday and so do I," he said truthfully and Eponine half believed him.

"Thanks, I guess. Well, let's go to lunch then," Eponine said with her stomach growling.

**Line Break**

Enjolras was going to crash if Les Amis didn't shut up in the next second. The large SUV was completely crowded and everyone was bouncing off the walls on the way to pick up Eponine. Enjolras hated the commotion.

"Are we there yet?" Grantaire asked like a two year old.

"I need OUT! This is SO unsanitary!" Joly exclaimed clawing at his throat.

"Aw, nothing is wrong with some cuddling between old friends."

"Never say that again."

"Cuddling?"

"Yeah, that word."

"Oh well in that case, CUDDLING, CUDDLING, CUDDLING, SNUGGLING!"

"MAKE IT STOP!"

"I think the chocolate I got her is going to melt."

"It isn't going to melt."

"I got her the best present: a Harry Potter Wand Remote!"

"Dear Lord, you actually bought that?"

"Yup."

"I got her a batman snuggie."

"Yeah, well I got her a target practice alarm clock. When she wakes up, she has to take the gun and shoot the target to make it stop!"

"That's. Freaking. Amazing. I want one!"

"WE'RE HERE! THANK THE LORD I CAN FINALLY GET OUT OF THE CAR!" Enjolras shouted as he slammed on the breaks and swung open the door. They surveyed the area, and Joly whimpered as he spotted a couple kissing on the stairs, and he remarked about how germy that was. Even Bahorel looked intimidated as a completely ripped guy swaggered across the small patch of grass in the front of the ramshackle building. The small apartment complex was covered in graffiti and dirt. A majority of the windows were cracked and grass grew through the unclean sidewalk. The building was dilapidated and the people were pretty sketchy.

"I'll just, um, stay in the car," Courfeyrac gulped. The Amis nodded in agreement as they refastened their seatbelts.

"Whimps," Enjolras muttered as he shoved open the door and strode up to the room that Gavroche had told him was Eponine's. He knocked thrice on the door before Eponine quickly thrust it open.

"What are you doing here?" she asked. Her holey sweatpants and faded red tee shirt weren't exactly the most attractive thing ever, however her hair was tied tightly into a French braid that was nice enough to wear for the night.

"Happy Birthday, Eponine. We are taking you out for a birthday surprise. Put on your most elegant dress and we will leave!" Enjolras said without much emotion.

"What? Wait a second, where are we even going?" Eponine asked, but Enjolras was not going to reveal anything.

"I cannot tell you, just go put on a dress. Les Amis are waiting in the car," Enjolras explained.

"They all saw where I live! I never wanted any of you to see this place!" Eponine said in distress.

"Don't worry, none of us care. Now go get ready!" Enjolras urged sending Eponine to her room. He sat down on a plastic chair in her kitchen and pulled out his phone. What seemed like an eternity later (but was really only 15 minutes), Eponine emerged from her room. She wore a tight and short black dress and tall, sleek heels. She was proud of the dress because she had saved up her money for months so she could afford it. The braid was still there, but it was accompanied with a black lace headband. Her makeup had been touched up a bit, Enjolras noticed. He felt like he had been staring at her for a moment too long.

"Not bad," he shrugged. He felt like he should have told her she was beautiful, but he didn't. Surely the other Amis would. "Let's go."

Eponine latched onto his elbow and led him to the door. She frowned when she noticed he shied away from her touch.

"Don't worry, friends can link arms," she informed him. He immediately relaxed and decided that he did indeed enjoy linking arms with Eponine.

**A/N: Today is June 3****rd****! IT IS BAD WOLF DAY! I haven't seen 'Bad Wolf' written anywhere, but that's cool too. Go Whovians!**


	5. Happy Birthday

Eponine was greeted with a loud chorus of 'happy birthdays' from the full to bursting car. Men were packed inside so tight that Eponine wasn't sure how they had all gotten in there.

"Why didn't you take two cars? Or four?" Eponine wondered aloud.

"I am the only one that owns a car… Plus who else would drive safely, Grantaire?" Enjolras asked rhetorically.

"Point taken," Eponine muttered as she clambered into the car. "Is this why everyone has been acting so strange lately? I can't believe you are throwing me a birthday party!"

"Oh yes, we are all terrible at keeping secrets! Except for Enjolras, he never gives _anything _away. He probably doesn't care enough anyways," Grantaire said happily. Eponine chuckled when Enjolras rolled his eyes at the man. "You look beautiful by the way."

"Absolutely gorgeous!" Courfeyrac agreed.

"You should wear that every day."

"You do look beautiful, Ep."

Eponine just laughed at their compliments, not really taking it seriously.

"Will anyone tell me where we are going?" Eponine asked hopefully, but everyone shook their head.

"It's a surprise!" Combeferre said with enthusiasm. "Now, Enjolras step on it! Let's go, go, go! You don't want to miss the reservation!"

"So we are going to dinner! Ha!" Eponine exclaimed.

"Well yes, but that isn't the big surprise," Bahorel said cryptically.

Eponine had never felt so lucky in her life; she had wonderful friends who actually _cared _about her. It touched her heart to see them doing all this for her. This simple act of friendship had such a big impact on her. Even though the car ride to the restaurant was noisy and cramped, Eponine didn't take notice for she was too absorbed in having fun herself.

"Here we are, The View!" Enjolras announced with relief in his voice; clearly he hadn't been comfortable in the tight conditions. Eponine glanced at the restaurant with wide eyes; she had heard about The View before but she had never actually been there before. It was New York's only rotating restaurant, and she heard it provided astonishing views of the New York scenery. They would be able to see the sunset over the city!

"I love you guys! This restaurant is extraordinary!" Eponine declared as she craned her neck to see the top of the tall building.

"Come on, let's go in," Grantaire said and everyone ran into the building while Enjolras drove away to park the car. Once inside, Eponine spotted a large circular structure that stood so tall she couldn't see where it ended. Curiosity filled her as she examined it, but jumped in surprise when a tube holding people descended it.

"That's the elevator," Courfeyrac explained as he noticed Eponine's puzzled complexion.

"_That's _the elevator? That looks absolutely nothing like an elevator in the slightest!" Eponine said in amazement as she watched the people in front of them enter the tube.

"Yes. Half of us can go in now, and the other half can get in the next one," Joly said before running into an available tube. "Come on Eponine, you can get in the first one. It is your birthday after all!"

Eponine stepped forward excitedly and entered the tube elevator. It was completely glass so she could see out. Several other Amis piled in after them and the doors closed. Suddenly, the elevator shot up and Eponine looked out at the inside of the building as they climbed floor after floor. Apparently this was a hotel because there were rows of bedrooms on the floors that they passed. All too soon, the elevator dinged to a stop and the doors opened once more.

"That was the best freaking elevator ride I have ever been on in my entire life," Eponine said in awe.

"I never can get used to it," Grantaire agreed as he staggered out of the elevator.

Dinner that night was amazing with the celebrating and opening of presents. Eponine's favorite gift was Grantaire's Harry Potter Wand Remote (Grantaire couldn't stop bragging about it for the rest of the dinner), followed by Bahorel's brass knuckle taser (which Enjolras strongly disapproved of), Marius' narwhal stuffed animal (which truthfully Eponine only liked so much because it was from Marius), and Combeferre's target practice alarm clock. She really loved all her presents, but she felt a reluctant twinge of disappointment when she noticed Enjolras didn't get her anything. She didn't know why; it's not like she cared about anything material. It _is _the thought that counts, but he didn't put in any thought.

Eponine stared out the window down onto New York. The restaurant was totally awesome; the floor rotated in a circle so they could get a full view of the city! The sunset was long gone now, but it had been beautiful with bursting red, pink, and orange hues. Now, the sky was darkened and dotted with little stars. They looked like the freckles on Marius' handsome face.

"Guys, we need to leave now if we want to make it on time for our second surprise. I paid the check, let's get out of here," Enjolras said ushering everyone out of the restaurant. Eponine was sad to leave such a great place, but she was waiting in anticipation to see her next surprise. Everyone filed into the elevator (Eponine swore that when it went down it felt exactly like the Tower of Terror at Disney because it dropped _so dang fast_), exited the building, and hopped in the car.

"Here we go," Enjolras grumbled to himself and they raced off into the darkness. The drive was short, only a couple minutes, before they pulled into a parking spot. Eponine looked around to collect a sense of her bearings wondering where they were going.

"We're here!" Courfeyrac said jumping for joy pointing to a building that was adorned with bright lights. Eponine's eyes burst open in shock and her jaw literally hit the filthy ground.

"OH MY GOSH YOU DID NOT!" she exclaimed jumping up and down in joy. The Wicked theater stood proudly in front of her like a dream. Eponine had always dreamed of seeing it live, but she had only seen a blurry version on YouTube and listened to the soundtrack (a million times).

"WE DID!" Prouvaire shouted back.

"Happy Birthday!" they all yelled, drinking up Eponine's delighted reaction.

"I LOVE YOU GUYS!" Eponine shouted.

"We love you too, Ep," Joly said honestly as they all wrapped her into a hug. Enjolras stood awkwardly off to the side as always.

"Enjolras, for once get off you high horse and get your butt over here," Eponine demanded. Had it been anyone else, Enjolras would've refused, but Eponine was too threatening. Loathingly, he briefly joined the group hug before announcing that they should get inside.

"Thanks you all for this," Eponine said grinning from ear to ear. They entered the building in the least orderly fashion possible and almost sprinted to their seats. Eponine gazed longingly at the sparkling stage that had a map draped across it with 'Oz' highlighted in green lights. A dragon hung menacingly at the top, and the whole scene was drenched in dazzling lights.

Eponine sat down between Enjolras and Combeferre. Enjolras didn't seem to want to talk, so she fell into an easy conversation with Combeferre.

"Have you seen this on Broadway before?" Eponine asked him, but Combeferre shook his head.

"No, I haven't. I have always wanted to see it though, but I just haven't had the time. Enjolras has seen it though," he replied dragging Enjolras into the conversation. Eponine turned to him, but he didn't seem very eager to talk.

"Did you like it?" Eponine asked. Enjolras looked her in the eyes and noted that she really did look stunning tonight. When she talked to him, her eyes were sparkling in happiness.

"Yes, I enjoyed it. Mind you, it is the _only _musical I have ever admitted to liking," Enjolras admitted. Eponine smiled briefly at him and returned to her conversation with Combeferre. Several minutes later, the lights began to dim and Eponine gripped the edge of her seat with giddiness. It was starting.

**Line Break**

Eponine had never had more fun in her entire life. She sang along with all the songs, after all she had memorized them long ago (her favorites were Defying Gravity and For Good). The performance was so wonderful that she almost felt sad enough to tear up at the end. But she was Eponine Thenardier and she _never _cried, so she didn't.

Courfeyrac did. And so did Prouvaire. And Joly.

She was downcast when it was finally time to leave. One by one, Les Amis were dropped off until it was only Eponine, Courfeyrac, Grantaire, and Enjolras left.

"Did you have a fun birthday Eponine?" Grantaire slurred. Eponine smiled to herself, the memory of the night still fresh in mind.

"Yes, I had the best birthday ever," she said truthfully.

"I'm glad," Courfeyrac said happily. "We work hard. I know Enjolras did, getting all the tickets and reservations." Eponine was taken by surprise, to say the least, that Enjolras had done all that.

"Thanks buddy for doing that," Eponine said graciously directing her thanks at Enjolras. He just gave her a half nod in acknowledgment.

"Wicked is the best musical _of all time_," Courfeyrac breathed in delight. "I am treasuring my playbill for ever and ever and ever."

"Don't you already have a playbill for Wicked?"

"What is your point?"

"Here is Eponine's stop," Enjolras said as he slowed down the car. Eponine gave them all another 'thank you' and leapt out into the darkness.

**A/N: Aw, someone had a good birthday. Silly Enjolras is still being cold though **


	6. Radioactive

**A/N: Maggie is not a real waiter, I made her up. Everyone at the Stardust Diner is absolutely lovely and they wouldn't hire anyone that mean! Also, thank you to everyone who has followed, favorite, and reviewed my story; it really means so much to me!**

Enjolras couldn't help but feel relieved that Eponine's birthday party was over. Sure, it had been a blast, but so many things could have gone wrong and he didn't like worrying about it. He knew he probably should have gotten her a present, but he didn't know what he would have gotten her! She did love everything Les Amis got her, but she was more of a sentimental person (not that she would ever admit it), and she appreciated meaningful things rather than material things. Unfortunately, Enjolras was lost as to what 'meaningful' thing he could have gotten her, so he decided not to waste his money.

"Let's go to the Stardust Diner for lunch. It's a Saturday so Ep will be working," Courfeyrac suggested as he entered the living room in his, Enjolras, and Grantaire's medium sized apartment. Grantaire was still sleeping, go figure, and Enjolras had already started working on next week's homework.

"Can you stop doing schoolwork on Saturday's? That's what Sunday's are for!" Courfeyrac groaned.

"No! Because if I don't get this done, I won't pass. And if I don't pass I will have to drop out of college. If I drop out of college, then I will never get a job. And if I don't get a job, I will have to leave the apartment. When I leave the apartment, I will be forced to forever live in a cardboard box on the freeway or under and overpass or something. I don't want to live in a cardboard box," Enjolras stated calmly before returning to his homework.

"How much coffee have you had today?"

"None so far."

"Okay, I am going to make you some coffee. Maybe two cups," Courfeyrac said hurrying off to the kitchen. There was some unintelligible mutterings and a loud thump before Grantaire crashed into the room.

"I need coffee. And then more alcohol," Grantaire whined massaging his head.

"Your fault for drinking so much at Eponine's birthday celebration," Enjolras said retorted matter-of-factly earning a glare from Grantaire.

"Duh," he snapped.

"I'm making coffee now!" Courfeyrac yelled from the kitchen.

"What time is it anyways?" Grantaire asked with a yawn.

"It's almost 1 in the afternoon. Congratulations, you managed to sleep away most of the day."

"Oh yeah, Enjy? What time did _you _get up at?"

"8."

"Ah that explains why you are so grumpy all the time! You never sleep for more than 4 hours!"

"I am experiencing more of life than you are! And I am sober when I am awake! I- never mind, this is disrupting me from my work. Excuse me while I finish this in my room," Enjolras said with finality as he retreated to the blissful solitude that his room provided.

"Don't stay in there long, we are going to leave for the Stardust Diner soon!" Courfeyrac called. Enjolras responded by slamming his door.

**Line Break**

Enjolras had never hated a waiter more in his entire life. The way _she _stood twisting her dark hair with judging brown eyes that were cold and hostile made Enjolras want to snap at her. She looked as though she would rather stick needles in her eyes than take his, Courfeyrac, and Grantaire's orders. Purple gum so dark that it almost looked black was lodged in her mouth and she chewed on it noisily. Enjolras wished that Eponine could have been their waiter today, but instead they were stuck with this girl named Maggie.

"Have you decided what you want or not?" she sighed.

"No, net yet," Enjolras said stiffly. Courfeyrac was still scanning the menu, but Grantaire had already ordered and sauntered off towards the bar.

"Hurry up, then, _sir,_" she said making the 'sir' sound sarcastic. Enjolras looked away from Maggie and made eye contact with Eponine who was standing at the other end of the room by the microphones and sound system. Eponine saw that his waiter was Maggie and gave him a sympathetic glance. Maggie was infamous amongst the staff for her foul attitude and short temper. The only reason why she hadn't been fired was because her dad's best friend owned the place and that her voice was one of the best in the diner.

"I'll take my time, thank you," Enjolras said coolly with that voice of his that suggested 'danger.' If he yelled at you, it meant he was angry but he would get over it. No, he was like a tornado. The calm right before the storm meant that he was about to be in a rage.

"Whatever," Maggie muttered as she slipped out her phone and began texting discreetly.

"I'll have the buffalo wings," Courfeyrac said at last, but Maggie didn't hear him. "Excuse me, I said-"

"Ugh I was texting my friend! Now I have to wait to find out what her big secret was!" Maggie complained.

"I'm _so_ sorry about that, ma'am," Enjolras said sarcastically. "I am sorry we are inconveniencing you with our orders. It's not like you are supposed to put the customers first or anything." Slightly embarrassed, Maggie slid her phone into her pocket, but not before making a face at Enjolras.

"So you want the buffalo wings?" she asked Courfeyrac and he nodded. "What about you, wise guy?"

"I don't know, what do you recommend? Because, you know, I value your opinion so _highly,_" Enjolras sneered. Courfeyrac facepalmed; Enjolras was in a horrible mood and it could only get worse from here.

"I recommend you leaving," Maggie said without missing a beat.

"Well, that escalated quickly," Courfeyrac grumbled.

"I'll have the cheeseburger," Enjolras said, somehow making his freaking food order sound harsh. "You know, I should have the right mind to report you for your childish and insufferable behavior."

"You _should_ have the right mind, but you don't. I'm sorry sir, there is nothing I can do to make you smarter," Maggie said yanking the menu out of his hands.

"Hey, Enjy! I recommend soaking that burn in cold water! OHHH she just got you!" Courfeyrac cheered. Maggie just snickered at them.

"You should stop talking, Maggie. When you speak, you lower the IQ of everyone in the café," Enjolras said smoothly causing the grin to wipe off Maggie's face.

"I'll be back with your food," she said, making it sound like a threat. Eponine, who had been watching the exchange, hurried over to the table.

"Nice, Enjy! I have always wanted to talk to her like that! But I really can't; if I did I could get fired because her dad's best friend owns the place. It's happened before, actually. Someone got fired when they got into a fight with her. There was yelling and then Maggie grabbed a sandwich and shoved it in their face, and to retaliate, the person took a water pitcher and poured it on her head. No one has seen or heard from that person since," Eponine recalled.

"I feel bad for you; you have to work with that imbecile," Enjolras said shuddering at the thought of having to put up with Maggie every day.

"That's too bad for Maggie; she told me that she thought you were hot. In fact, she 'dibbed' being your waiter for the rest of the year so she could talk to you. I'll be she has changed her mind after today," Eponine chuckled.

"Why would she want to be my waiter, though?" Enjolras asked.

"I told you! Because she thought you were hot! I can see her point, you do have a nice face. Maybe if you smiled more and actually made an attempt to do something with your hair… Never mind. Anyways, she said I was getting in the way between her and you ever happening or whatever," Eponine said with a shrug.

"That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard in my life," Enjolras replied.

"Eh, I don't think you two hit it off very well. I doubt she will want to serve you again," Eponine laughed.

"Thank goodness; I would never come here again if she was going to be my waiter every time. Eponine, you are obviously the most competent waiter in this joint, I 'dib' you as our permanent waiter when we come here," Enjolras pleaded.

"Okay, okay!" Eponine exclaimed as she saw how desperate the man was.

"That's true, you are the best waiter here," Courfeyrac flirted, but Eponine just laughed.

"I have an idea! Eponine is it possible for you to sing a duet?" Enjolras asked, but Eponine just gave him a puzzled look.

"You want to sing a duet with me? Well, first you have to _work _here-"

"No! I meant you could sing a duet with Maggie and show everyone that you are a better singer!" Enjolras suggested.

"Why? What would that prove? And anyways, Maggie is a far better singer than I am," Eponine admitted.

"I doubt that's true. And she just needs to lose for once. At the end, everyone can decide who they thought was a better singer and we can judge the winner by the amount of applause they receive!" Enjolras said passionately.

"I don't know…" Eponine said chewing her lip. "Fine. It isn't like I have anything to lose."

"What's a good fight song for them to sing?" Courfeyrac asked.

"How about 'Hit Me with Your Best Shot?'" Eponine suggested.

"Nah, that won't give you an opportunity to show off as much," Courfeyrac said.

"'Rumor has It?'"

"No, I don't want to risk that. Adele songs are the hardest to sing," Eponine declined.

"Ugh I can't think of anything under pressure!" Courfeyrac whined.

"I just can't think of any," Enjolras shrugged.

"I KNOW!" Eponine shouted causing several heads to turn their direction. Eponine looked at them apologetically before repeating the two words, but much quieter. "I have the perfect song! We could sing 'Anything You can Do.' It is the perfect rival song."

"You are a genius, Eponine!" Courfeyrac praised.

"I guess I've heard that song before," was all Enjolras said.

"I am going to go get her. It is almost my turn to sing, so this works out perfectly!"

That's how ten minutes later, Eponine and Maggie found themselves gripping their mics and glaring at each other while Eddie completed his song. When he finished, they stepped up and Eponine began to explain what was going to happen.

"Maggie and I are going to have a sing off! Vote for your favorite with your applause at the end. Maggie here will step up, and if you liked her clap for her. If you didn't, clap for me when I step up!" she said.

"May the best singer win," Maggie added, giving Eponine a death glare.

The song started and Eponine sang first. When she sang, a familiar hush fell over the diner as they listened to her beautiful voice. Her tone, pitch, and vibrato were all perfectly balanced. She looked at ease as though she wasn't trying to impress anyone. When Maggie began to sang, her voice was almost as equally wondrous as Eponine's, except her facial expressions were unwelcoming and her stage presence was lacking. From those first few seconds, Enjolras could tell she did not have what it takes to be on Broadway, whereas Eponine did. All Eponine needed was a little training and experience and she could really go far. Maggie didn't have that potential.

"Maggie's good, but Eponine is clearly better. We have to clap our loudest for her, got it?" Courfeyrac whispered and Enjolras nodded.

When the song was over, Maggie arrogantly stepped up first. The plaudits she received were minimal, and she backed away looking furious. When Eponine humbly stepped forth, she was showered with thunderous applause that made her smile like a true star. No one clapped louder than Enjolras and Courfeyrac. Even Grantaire clapped in his inebriated state from the bar.

A man wearing the Stardust Diner uniform stepped forward and gave Eponine a hug and congratulations.

"I think we have a winner folks!" he exclaimed and Eponine gave a short bow. She put her microphone back and ran up to Enjolras and Courfeyrac.

"I did it! I won!" she exclaimed joyfully.

"Come on, we knew you were going to win," Courfeyrac said.

"You are truly talented, Eponine. I know you will be a big star one day," Enjolras said earnestly.

"Wow, Enjy complimented you! That's a really big deal!" Courfeyrac commented.

"Thank you guys for pushing me to do that, I'm glad I did it," Eponine beamed.

Sometimes, her friendship with Enjolras was proving to have its benefits.

**A/N: Have a miserable/happy barricade day? It's impossible to have a happy barricade day… Don't forget to review!**


	7. What are Friends For?

**A/N: So sorry I have been MIA for the past week! I have been so busy and I can't believe I found time to write this chapter! Disclaimer: I don't own Les Mis or the Man in the Arena quote. **

After Eponine's shift at the diner, Enjolras offered to take Eponine home, an offer to which she happy obliged since she had no desire to walk or take a taxi.

"We could hang out if you have time," she suggested. "You can come in and we could watch a movie… or something." It felt odd to invite Enjolras inside. Just weeks ago he seemed like an unapproachable stranger that had a heart of marble and no interest in being friends, but Eponine was now getting glimpses of who the marble man really was. So far she had decided that Enjolras did not have a heart of marble after all. No; he had a real, human heart that was guarded by marble because that made it easier to block out emotions. She didn't exactly know _what _could be troubling him that would make him block out emotions, but she knew it probably stemmed from his parents. Whenever he mentioned them, he got a hard look in his eyes, and he tried to avoid the topic as much as possible. Perhaps tonight she would be able to reach out to him about the issue.

"Okay, that sounds good. I think I will come in, but I don't want to watch a movie. I have something better in mind," Enjolras said.

"What do you have in mind?" Eponine asked cautiously.

"Let's study."

"No, I don't want to study! That's so _boring_. C'mon, let's do something fun!"

"Studying _is _fun, and studying with a buddy always adds on to the experience."

"Why? It's a Saturday night for crying out loud! I refuse to spend it studying."

"You will really benefit from studying with me, I guarantee it. Just give it a try."

After several minutes of pointless arguing, Eponine found herself slouched down on the couch with a freaking big textbook cracked open in front of her.

"I don't want to," Eponine said firmly, but she knew it was useless. Even though she was more stubborn than him most of the time, she wanted to get to know Enjolras better and the best way to get close to him was by doing what he liked to do.

"Ah, let's study the Renaissance. What a wonderful era, the Renaissance was. The word 'renaissance' itself means a new beginning…"

Eponine tried to pay attention, truly she did, but after 10 minutes of listening to Enjolras drag on and on about Leonardo da Vinci, she stopped listening and just watched him talk. She watched how his eyes lit up when he remembered another fact and the way his mouth moved with precision, perfectly executing all of his words. She watched him run his hands through his hair every so often, a little quirk of his.

"Eponine, are you paying any attention?"

"Nope," she replied candidly and Enjolras sighed in agitation.

"Please tell me you learned something, at least."

"Um… renaissance means new beginning?"

"Good enough," Enjolras shrugged and slammed the textbook shut.

"I'm sorry, I know I am the lousiest student that ever lived. My parents never cared about my education and I suppose that made me not take school seriously," Eponine admitted. "All _I _care about is my job so I have enough money to pay off my father."

"Why do you do that? You don't need to pay your father, he shouldn't take your hard earned money," Enjolras said as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"As if I don't wish that could happen! But you don't know my father the way I do. He's a conman, but he's also more than that. He has so many connections he isn't a man, he's a puppet master and the world is his puppet. All he has to do is pull on a string and the job is done. He can hit you so fast that you didn't know he was even there, and there is no way to know when he is coming after you. If I stopped paying him, he could force me to do unmentionable things and he could easily hurt my friends, including you," Eponine said bitterly.

"Surely the police can help you," Enjolras said fiercely.

"The police? That's cute. My father has inside connections to the police force, you think they are really going to come after him if he doesn't want to get caught? Another thing my father is: invisible," Eponine said shaking her head.

"I hate your dad; I just don't get why anyone could be so terrible. When did he become like that? Was he always that horrible to you?"

"No, it's gotten worse. When I was about 5 or 6, I was daddy's little princess. He loved me and spoiled me rotten to the point where I expected everything to come so easily. I thought I could have the world with the snap of my fingers. My mother was the boss of the house, and definitely the boss of my father, and she would dote and fawn over me every moment possible. I had a couple siblings back then and my parents took in this foster child. The foster child, well I don't remember her too well, but we never treated her very graciously. Kind of like how the Dursleys treated Harry Potter, if you ever read the books or watched the movie. We fed her and gave her a place to sleep at night, but never showed her love and we made her do our chores. Then a man came and took her away, I think it was her dad or whatever, and my parents began to treat me the way they treated that foster child. At first it was really weird not being the apple of my parents' eyes anymore, but I grew used to it and adapted. I didn't mind that too much. You see, my parents owned a hotel in Manhattan that was quite popular. Unfortunately, people began to realize that the hotel was just a big scam. It got terrible reviews and they even mentioned it in the newspaper once, but no good things were said about it. My father and his gang would steal luggage and nice items from the people who stayed there, and eventually they had to shut it down because there were no customers. That's when my father went into the taxi business and started to con people there. He treated me so horribly and told me that my dream of being on Broadway was ridiculous. Around that time was when everything started to go to hell."

"I can't believe that I feel so bad about my parents when you have it a million times worse." Ah, there it is. Enjolras is beginning to let his guard down and talk about his problem.

"What did you parents do to you?" Eponine asked trying to get the marble man to dig deep.

"Don't worry about it," Enjolras said stiffly.

"Tell me, Enjy. Pleeeeaaaaaaaaa-"

"Fine, just don't call me Enjy anymore. My dad wanted me to be a doctor like him, but I am far more interested in law than medicine. Being a doctor is his dream, not mine. He also doesn't like how involved I am with charity, which is my main passion. I want to travel around the world and help people in every country. My mother is so obedient to my father that she automatically agrees to everything he says, and he has brainwashed her to think I am a disgrace. It's a miracle that they haven't disowned me yet, but I'm expecting it to happen soon. They threaten me with it enough," Enjolras shrugged. "Of course my sister and brother are the perfect, cookie cutter doctors that my father wanted them to be."

"So what if they are perfect? _You _are perfectly imperfect and I know that you are destined to save the world one day. You have so much passion in helping people and becoming a lawyer that you would fail for your cause, and that makes you a hero. Anybody with that much faith in one thing can accomplish whatever their dream is. You aren't wishy-washy about what you want, you have one goal in mind and plenty of determination to achieve it. Who are your parents to judge you? It's like that Teddy Roosevelt quote about the Man in the Arena, do you know it?" Eponine asked, and Enjolras shook his head.

Eponine cleared her throat and began to recite her favorite quote of all time. "_It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat_,_" _she said softly. "I memorized that when my dad started to beat me and I found my new dream of being a Broadway star. That quote is what keeps me going when everything is wrong and I can't see why I even try anymore. It reminds me that it matters that I _do _try, and that makes me better than the people who have never worked hard for anything in their miserable lives. The line that strikes me the most is '_so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.' _You see Enjy, you're like me: you have so much passion for your dream that you would do anything, including failing, for it."

Enjolras was rarely reduced to speechlessness, but he was now. Everything that Eponine was saying struck his heart and made Enjolras _feel. _He felt the rejection from his parents, but his passion for charity glowed a thousand times stronger, burning brighter than it had before.

"Enjolras? You gonna say something?" Eponine asked prodding his shoulder hoping for some reaction.

"Thank you," he mumbled and Eponine crinkled her brow in confusion.

"Thank you for what? I haven't done anything."

"Thank you for being my friend; I'm glad we met. You listen to me and you understand, and that is exactly what I need," Enjolras said honestly yet somewhat awkwardly. He felt like he was going soft, and he seldom made comments like this.

"Thanks for being my friend as well," Eponine said nudging him playfully.

"I haven't really done anything for you."

"Yes you have, Enjy. I know that you are here for me, and I know that I can always count on you. That's what friends are for."

Enjolras shrugged when suddenly a genius idea hit him; he knew what he was going to do for Eponine's birthday present. Granted, it would be belated, but better late than never, right?

**A/N: Has anyone seen Man of Steel yet? I am seeing it soon and I'm SO EXCITED! Anyways, I have an idea of what Enjolras' present is going to be, and it's gonna be totally awesome! Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, followed, and favorited my story! Don't forget to review **


	8. For Good

**A/N: I am so sorry I haven't updated in the longest time, I just got back from a mission trip. Now I'm back to write!**

"Hey Eponine, I heard you completely nailed some girl in a singing competition. Enjolras told me all about it," Combeferre told Eponine the next day. They were all hanging out at the café minus Grantaire (he was drinking), Enjolras (studying), and Joly (refused to come because he saw the barista sneeze and left promptly). Eponine was taking the time to relax and avoid her greedy father by hanging out with the guys.

"Are you sure Enjolras told you about it? Not Courfeyrac?" Eponine asked, but Combeferre nodded.

"Yup it was all Enjy. He seemed really proud of you for doing that, you know. Courfeyrac texted me about it, but Enjolras actually called me. I wish I had been there! Next time call or text me when something like that is about to happen so I can witness it," he responded. Eponine was flushed with contentment when she heard that Enjolras was proud of her.

"Courfeyrac recorded a part of it and sent it to me. You were _clearly _the better singer out of the two of you! Maggie was pretty hot, but she seemed like a horrible person," Bahorel added. "She was really intimidating."

"Tell me about it! I've hated her since I started working there, and she has never been nice to me," Eponine shrugged. "Whatever. I could beat her up in a heartbeat, but the only reason I haven't done that yet is because I don't want to lose my job."

"Maybe she is jealous of you," Prouvaire suggested, but Eponine just laughed in his face.

"Jealous of me? Yeah, right. You would have to be _insane _to be jealous of me. Who would want my life?" Eponine snorted.

"You have more talent than her, and you are more likely to move onto Broadway," Bahorel said.

"Sure, I doubt I will _ever _make it to Broadway. Maybe if I am lucky enough I can be a singing spoon in Beauty and the Beast," Eponine remarked slyly.

"Nah, I bet if you work hard enough, you could be anyone. Even Elphaba in Wicked, if you wanted," Jehan said.

"The only thing I have ever wanted in life is to be Elphaba, but I doubt it will happen," Eponine sighed. _I want Marius, too, but I doubt that will ever happen either, _she thought. Eponine realized with a shock that she hadn't thought about Marius in a long time.

"I would hire you as Elphaba," Prouvaire said sweetly.

"I bet you look _dahling _in green," Jehan teased. Eponine shoved him and he fell off the couch they were sitting on.

"Ouch!" he yelped as his back hit the floor.

"Sucks to suck," Eponine sneered.

"Wait! Be quiet! Do you hear something?" Combeferre asked excitedly.

"No… Maybe one raindrop," Jehan said in a hushed voice.

"No, I mean I can hear the TARDIS! The Doctor has come for me!" Combeferre explained rushing to the window, but Eponine shook her head at his stupidity.

"That's my ringtone, idiot," she said rolling her eyes. She reached in her pocket for her phone and was surprised when she saw Enjolras' name flash across the caller ID.

"Hey," she said answering the call.

"I know it is a little late, but I kind of got you a birthday present. Well, it isn't really a present but… Where are you? I am going to come and pick you up and I will take you the present," Enjolras said.

"You got me a present though; you made the reservations and got the tickets! You made my birthday special, and thank you for that. Anyways, I'm at the café right now," Eponine said.

"I know, but this is what I want to give you as your official present. It really isn't much at all; it's not a material thing anyways. It will only be a memory," Enjolras admitted.

"It doesn't matter to me," Eponine said.

"Okay, well, I'm just going to be on my way," Enjolras said before the line clicked dead. Eponine, being the most curious person on the planet, couldn't wait to find out what her surprise was. She wasn't expecting much; in fact she really didn't know what to expect. He was probably just going to take her out for ice cream or something.

"Well, that was Enjolras. He said he had another 'birthday surprise' for me, and he's going to pick me up in a minute," she explained as she shoved her phone back in her pocket and stood up.

"Really? He didn't mention that to any of us! He normally tells us these kinds of things," Combeferre said scratching his head.

"I'll tell you what happens," Eponine said with a twinge of excitement.

Meanwhile, Enjolras was driving to the café, only a minute away. He was nervous to see Eponine's reaction. Convincing his uncle to do this for him wasn't the easiest thing in the world, but he knew it would pay off. Well, it would pay off if everything went as planned…

Finally, he arrived at the café where he saw Eponine standing outside. It had just begun to rain, and she quickly hopped in the car before it started pouring.

"Are you going to tell me where we are going?" Eponine asked.

"Nope," Enjolras said flatly.

"Okay. Tell me then, does it involve food?"

"Let me think- no."

"Does it involve museums?" Eponine asked fearfully. Knowing Enjolras, it was probably something boring like that.

"You would hate that, of course it isn't a museum."

"So, it's nothing educational?"

"Nope."

"So it will be fun."

"I hope so."

"I have no idea where we are going," Eponine admitted.

"That's the point."

"Okay, so clearly you aren't going to tell me anything. I think we should take this time to get to know each other better. I know your whole backstory pretty much, but I don't any of the small things about you," Eponine suggested.

"Ask me anything," Enjolras said.

"Let me think… What's your favorite color?"

"Red."

"Well, can't say that one was a plot twist. What's your favorite animal?"

"The hawk because it represents freedom. What about you?"

"I think my favorite animal would have to be… a cat. But not just a regular cat; it would have to be a stray cats. They are like me; no home, no friends, no family. Well, I guess I have friends now, but I used to be alone. Okay, what makes you laugh?"

"What makes me laugh? I don't know… You make me laugh. I laughed when you beat Maggie. What makes you laugh, Eponine?"

"The Big Bang Theory and Parks and Recreation, definitely. Favorite movie?"

"Well… as a kid it was Star Wars and Newsies. The idea of making a change has always been a part of me, and those movies are perfect examples of a rebellion. Now, I have no idea what my favorite movie would be. I don't watch that many anymore," Enjolras shrugged.

"_My _favorite movie would have to be… Well I love all horror films. The more gore, the better! Harry Potter will always be my number 1, though. When I was a kid, my favorite movie was the Princess Bride," Eponine said thoughtfully.

"Ah, got to love Harry. Now let me ask a question: what is your favorite food?"

"I don't know. All food is good food."

"I agree with you on that one."

They talked and joked around a little bit when they reached their destination all too soon. Before Eponine got a chance to see where they were, he took out a blindfold.

"I'm going to blindfold you to make this more of a surprise," he told her as he tied the ribbon across her face. His breath hitched when he realized how close he was to her face and rapidly drew back.

"Come with me," he said. Enjolras reached out to take her hand, but decided against it. Instead, he linked arms with her mimicking the action from the day of her birthday. He purposely parked a block away from their final destination just in case. He led Eponine through crowds of people before he stopped in front of the empty theater. Carefully rummaging through his pocket, he located the key that would gain them entry. Carefully, he turned on the lights to the theater.

"Can I take off my blindfold yet?" Eponine asked in a hushed voice.

"Not yet, but almost," he assured her. Slowly he led her up to the front of the vacated room, careful not to trip over anything.

"Okay, take it off."

Anxiously, Eponine ripped off the silk fabric.

In the next moment, she died of happiness.

**A/N: Sorry for the shortness of this chapter, it was just leading up to the next one! Who can guess where they are?**


	9. Wicked

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, followed, and favorited my story!**

"Enjolras, this isn't real. Pinch me; I must be dreaming," Eponine cried out into the empty theater. Enjolras had done it this time; he had given Eponine her dream. She couldn't believe where she was standing! This stage where brilliant performers had stood before her, dreams had unfolded, and magic had been made. A dragon hung lifeless above her and the rest of the set was left pretty much untouched. A sudden panic attack swept through Eponine as everything sunk in; she was standing on a real Broadway stage where Wicked was performed. She was at the Gershwin Theater!

"Shut up," she breathed. Enjolras gently grabbed the tie from her trembling hands and stuffed it in his pocket. "I am going to wake up and this is going to be over."

"This is really, Ep," Enjolras assured. Eponine just laughed hysterically.

"Now I know I am _really _dreaming; you never call me Ep," she said shaking her head.

"Well, there's a first time for everything."

"This is my first time standing on a Broadway stage. For the first time in my life, the spotlight is on _me_,_" _Eponine said in disbelief and shock.

"Happy belated birthday," Enjolras said. "I admit I wasn't going to get you anything; I knew that you wouldn't really want anything material. However, when we were talking the idea suddenly hit me and I knew what do, so I called my uncle and he told me I could take you here as long as I came early enough."

"You are like a fairy godmother," Eponine said in awe. She was too frozen in shock to even move.

"Ah, I love being compared to a fairy godmother," Enjolras said sarcastically.

"Fine, you are my genie then. A wish granter."

"Go on, then. Why don't you sing something?" Enjolras chuckled.

"I don't know what to sing," Eponine said dumbly.

"Well, choose something from Wicked."

"No, duh. I am too excited to think straight."

"Why don't you sing For Good? I like that song."

"It's a duet, Enjy. I won't sing unless you sing with me. I know you must be a good singer!"

"I haven't sung in years, Ep. I don't want to."

"Come on!" Eponine begged, tugging on his arm. Enjolras looked like he was about to murder something.

"I don't know the song well. Singing is for ballerinas and I refuse anyways."

"Ballerinas are silent… Singing is for awesome people! Don't you want to be awesome?"

"Nope. I don't know the song so just stop asking."

"Don't lie! I know you know it! Plus, it's the greatest friendship song of all time, it seems fitting that we should sing it after you did this for me! Don't let me down," Eponine beseeched. Enjolras tried not to look in her eyes; he knew that if he were to do that, he would surely give in. Her big orbs were too irresistible. Unfortunately for him, Eponine grabbed his face and forced him to look at her.

"Fine! Fine. But when my voice is awful, please refrain from laughing," Enjolras grumbled. "And you never _ever _mention this to anyone we know… or just anyone in general. I cannot believe I just agreed."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you! _I _will be Elphaba and _you _can be Galinda. Just sing down the octave."

"I am _honored_," Enjolras said through gritted teeth. "Can we at least sing a song with Fiyero in it?"

"Nope," she said smugly and smirked at him before walking directly to the center stage. She imagined thousands of fans waiting anxiously for her to sing and bright lights shining on her. With that image in her mind, she began to sing.

I'm limited  
Just look at me - I'm limited  
And just look at you  
You can do all I couldn't do, Glinda  
So now it's up to you  
For both of us - now it's up to you...

Enjolras loathingly stepped up a couple feet to her right and began to sing with a scowl on his face. He couldn't believe Eponine actually got him to sing; the one thing he swore to never do.

I've heard it said  
That people come into our lives for a reason  
Bringing something we must learn  
And we are led  
To those who help us most to grow  
If we let them  
And we help them in return  
Well, I don't know if I believe that's true  
But I know I'm who I am today  
Because I knew you...

Eponine knew she must be dreaming; she wasn't expecting Enjolras to be a good singer, or even a decent one, but his voice was actually great_._ It was a little rusty and it was obvious he hadn't sung in a while, but it had so much potential.

Like a comet pulled from orbit  
As it passes a sun  
Like a stream that meets a boulder  
Halfway through the wood  
Who can say if I've been changed for the better?  
But because I knew you  
I have been changed for good

Eponine shyly cleared her throat and began to sing Elphaba's lines.

It well may be  
That we will never meet again  
In this lifetime  
So let me say before we part  
So much of me  
Is made of what I learned from you  
You'll be with me  
Like a handprint on my heart  
And now whatever way our stories end  
I know you have re-written mine  
By being my friend...

Like a ship blown from it's mooring  
By a wind off the sea  
Like a seed dropped by a skybird  
In a distant wood  
Who can say if I've been changed for the better?  
But because I knew you

Enjolras allowed himself to smile. Even though he didn't like to sing, it felt good to sing with Eponine. She truly did belong here, Broadway was her home. This was her something to believe in.

Because I knew you  
I have been changed for good

And just to clear the air  
I ask forgiveness  
For the things I've done you blame me for

But then, I guess we know  
There's blame to share

And none of it seems to matter anymore

The initial shock that Eponine had received was slowly fading away and she was more aware of her surroundings. Slowly she began to move around the stage and drink in every little detail as they sang.

Like a comet pulled from orbit  
As it passes a sun  
Like a stream that meets a boulder  
Halfway through the wood

When Eponine sang, she wasn't just singing a song; she was Elphaba.

Like a ship blown from it's mooring  
By a wind off the sea  
Like a seed dropped by a bird in the wood

Who can say if I've been  
Changed for the better?  
I do believe I have been  
Changed for the better

Eponine knew that she meant what she sang; Enjolras had changed her for the better. They haven't been friends very long, but this experience was the best thing that had happened to her in a long time. Granted, their friendship wasn't even close to how strong Glinda and Elphaba's was, but maybe one day it will get there.

And because I knew you...

Because I knew you...

Because I knew you...  
I have been changed for good...

Eponine began to clap her hands in applause for their impromptu duet, but she leapt three feet in the air when another pair of hands began to clap for them as well. A man emerged from the shadows and made his way up to the stage, still clapping. Eponine recognized the man and greeted him with a smile; it was Enjolras' uncle. At the same time, she couldn't believe he had just heard her sing! What if he hated her voice? She knew he had a lot of influence, and her career would be over before it started.

"Hello!" Eponine said, her voice strong and unfaltering. It was so easy for her to act and cover up how nervous she truly felt.

"Hello Eponine and hello Enjolras! I must say, I enjoyed that more than anything I have seen in a while. I'd say you were ten times better than the current Elphaba. You were so good, in fact, that I think it would be unfair if I didn't say something to the casting director for Wicked. I would highly recommend that you audition for the role. Silly old me, jumping straight to conclusions. You don't have to be Elphaba if you don't want to! You could audition for any lead role that you wanted to, but the way you sang Elphaba's song was truly magical. It's a shame that you, Enjolras, decided to stop singing. I think you could have gone far if you had continued the voice lessons," Enjolras' uncle rambled. For the first time, Eponine couldn't actually believe her luck. Even in her dreams, Eponine had never had so much going for her. Not trusting her voice, Eponine ran up to Enjolras' uncle and hugged him tightly around the middle.

"Thank you so much, sir. It's always been a ridiculous fantasy of mine to be Elphaba; I never thought it could even be remotely possible," Eponine breathed before detaching herself from him and running up to Enjolras.

"This wouldn't have been possible without you," Eponine thanked him as she wrapped her arms around him in a hug. Enjolras despised hugging, but he decided to indulge Eponine so he returned the embrace (rather awkwardly, I might add).

"This is the best day of my life. But sir, do you really think I have what it takes to be Elphaba? Is there even a slight chance I could ever land the role?" Eponine wondered.

"I have faith in you, dear. I know true talent when I see it. When I saw you sing just a moment ago, it became evident to me that Broadway is your home," Enjolras' uncle assured her.

"This can't be happening," Eponine said with a dazed grin.

"Believe it darling because it is happening. True talent deserves to be recognized. If you work hard enough and your dream is strong enough, you can accomplish anything. When you truly listen to your heart, does it say that you want to be Elphaba? Do you feel at home standing on that stage?"

Eponine thought long and hard about Uncle Jack's words. It was true, she had never felt more content or at home in her entire life than she did right there standing upon the stage. She didn't have to listen to her heart to know that it already belonged to the role of Elphaba (and Marius, though she was beginning to have some doubts).

"Enjolras, this is the best birthday present I have ever and will ever get."

**A/N: Yay Eponine got Enjy to sing! My summer schedule is pretty crazy so updates won't be regular, but I will hopefully be able to post the next chapter soon. **


	10. Hope

**A/N: So we were walking and found this wooden tower thing that you can walk up and at the top people left messages so I wrote 'Vive la France!' and 'Red, the blood of angry men.' And for all you Sherlockians I wrote 'Roses are red, Sherlock's blood is too, There's pain in John's voice when he says "He's my friend let me through."' I apologize for that… Carry on**

A couple months later:

"Attention everybody, our very own waiter Eponine just landed a callback for Elphaba in Wicked! Everyone give her some applause!" said Reilly, another waiter at the Stardust Diner, as she raised Eponine's hand into the air as though to say 'she's a champion!' Everyone clapped respectively, as to which Eponine grinned like a fool. Enjolras, Joly, Marius, and Prouvaire all sat at a booth and cheered along with everybody else, even though they already knew Eponine had gotten the callback a while ago.

"Give it up for Eponine! Let's have her sing something from Wicked! How about 'For Good?' You could sing a duet with someone," Reilly offered causing Enjolras to groan as he recalled the day he sang with Eponine at the Gershwin theater. Eponine cast Enjolras a knowing glance, and the other three boys at the table regarded the exchange with curiosity.

"Um… I think I'll just sing the solo version of 'Defying Gravity,'" Eponine suggested.

"That works too! Give it up for Eponine!" Reilly said one more time before walking off and Eponine began to sing.

"I love this song," Prouvaire sighed contentedly.

"So, you and Eponine sang 'For Good' together," Marius said slyly.

"How do you know that! Eponine said she wouldn't tell anyone!" Enjolras exclaimed angrily.

"She didn't tell me; you just confirmed it. I saw your and Eponine's reaction when the other waiter mentioned singing a duet of 'For Good.' Well… how did it go?" Marius prodded and Enjolras cursed himself.

"Ugh, it really isn't a big deal, okay? That was when she landed the audition, I had my uncle listen to her sing. I wasn't counting on singing myself, but I was so desperate to get Eponine to sing I did what she said," Enjolras said bitterly.

"Aw, you're a good friend," Joly said, patting Enjolras' head. Unfortunately his action was interrupted when Enjolras grabbed his wrist and twisted it around in one swift movement. Joly received the message: do not touch my hair.

"Maybe they're more than friends," Prouvaire suggested, wagging his eyebrows. Enjolras was too quick to deny the statement.

"Of course not, we're only friends," Enjolras snapped, but his friends looked at him suspiciously as though they didn't quite believe him. Enjolras was completely taken aback; he had never thought of Eponine _in that way. _Sure she was gorgeous, cunning, infuriating, yet wonderful, but did Enjolras _like _her? He glanced up at her singing 'Defying Gravity,' and he felt his heart do a somersault in his chest.

That was new.

She noticed him staring at her, and she winked at him.

For the first time he felt like he was made of stone.

He was flying 1000 miles into the sky, and he was also plummeting into the depths of the Earth.

"What you did for her was really generous. I'm sure she's fallen head over heels for you along the way," Prouvaire sighed.

"They are so getting married," Marius sighed.

"I can help! Before I wanted to be a doctor, I wanted to be a wedding planner. Let me help, let me help, please, please, please, please-"

"Cut it out, all of you! We're _friends,_ and you are just making things awkward. Now Eponine's song is almost over and your constant chatter made all of us miss it! And don't mention any of this to Ep, I really don't want to make anything weird between us," Enjolras begged.

"Aw! He called her Ep!" Marius cheered, and Enjolras rolled his eyes.

"Why am I stuck with the three most romantic guys in our group," he groaned. Marius, Joly, and Prouvaire all started planning Enjolras and Eponine's wedding while Enjolras tried to drown out their idiocy.

"Whatcha guys talking about?" Eponine asked as she came up to them. Enjolras shot his friends a death glare that said 'if you utter one word about our wedding that will NEVER HAPPEN I will personally murder you and your families.'

"We were talking about amazing you sounded for your solo! Congrats 'Ponine! When you land the role, I'm going to take my exquisite Cosette to see you perform. I was thinking about proposing to her," Marius admitted. Eponine's heart sank a little bit, but not as much as she expected it to when the news hit her. She was finally able to see that someone like Marius would never want her, and even if he did, their relationship would be rocky. He always agrees to everything, but Eponine likes a good argument. Someone who just says 'yes' all the time is _boring. _Someone like Enjolras would be perfect for her.

Whoa.

Where did that come from? _Eponine and Enjolras?! _

Eponine mentally smashed her head with a frying pan. If she started to think like that, she would surely act tense around him. Did she like Enjolras? Sure she loved what he did for her. She loved the way he would always listen to her, the way his icy blue eyes would seem to melt into water when he watched her. She loved the way he would always give her his honest opinion, whether he agreed with her or not. She loved hi-

"Eponine?" Joly asked waving his hand in front of her face. "You spaced out."

"Oh sorry," Eponine chuckled, trying to mask her uneasiness. "Um… What did you say?"

"I just said that I'm proposing to Cosette when we see you perform as Elphaba," Marius said. Ugh, how could Eponine forget _that_?

"I might not get the role, don't be so confident that I will. Not everything always goes the way we want them to," Eponine said a little harsher than necessary. Enjolras sent her a sympathetic glance because he knew how she felt about Marius. For the first time, Enjolras felt jealousy surge through his veins.

"You're right, 'Ponine. But I'm sure you'll do great," Marius said with a smile. For the first time, Eponine didn't feel like smiling back at him.

"Eponine, you'll get what you deserve. Even if you fail, at least you can say you tried," Enjolras countered. Eponine felt her lips curl upwards at his comment, and she offered him an appreciative nod.

After everyone had finished their food, paid, and left, Enjolras remained behind. Eponine noticed his presence and approached him tentatively.

"Why didn't you leave with Joly, Marius, and Prouvaire?" she asked, and Enjolras shrugged.

"I needed to ask you if you wanted to grab dinner with me tonight," Enjolras asked. He didn't stumble or falter on any of his words, but inside he was horrified of rejection. His fear went away, however, when Eponine's face lit up.

"Sure, sounds fun. Do you have a place in mind?" Eponine asked casually.

"Yes, I do actually. Dress nice and I'll pick you up at 7," Enjolras said before he made his way to the exit.

"Are you gonna tell me where we're going?"

"Now where would be the fun in that?"

**Line Break **

Since Eponine was Eponine, she didn't always do the best in nice places with nice people. Even before they got to the restaurant, she knew that the night would be difficult for her. She didn't deserve expensive things, not yet. Enjolras was dressed up like a true gentleman with his $5,000 suit, sleek loafers, and tie. Eponine felt extremely underdressed in her cocktail dress from Forever 21 (it was red).

Enjolras told her she looked beautiful and Eponine felt light inside, even though she didn't believe him.

"Will you tell me where we are going?" Eponine asked with her eyebrows creased in worry. Enjolras looked at her for a second and observed that she was fiddling with the hem of her skirt, a nervous tick that he had as well. He couldn't figure out what was troubling her.

"No… but what's up?" Enjolras asked, his voice laced with concern.

"I'm riding in a car," Eponine deadpanned.

"I didn't mean it like that and you know it. You're nervous, but why?"

"I never said I was ner-"

"I know you never said it, but I can tell."

Eponine was surprised that she found herself telling Enjolras what was on her mind. Just a short while ago, she was so guarded around him, but a lot has changed now.

"I just feel uncomfortable at expensive restaurants, ya know? Well _you _wouldn't know because it is what you _expect, _but-"

"I don't 'expect' it, I just…"

"It's ok, I don't want you to feel weird or anything. I'm just pointing out how _I _feel like I don't really belong. Ack, I'm being dumb. Fierce and tough 'Ponine is acting sensitive," Eponine muttered.

"Hey, you're not being sensitive. I don't know what it's like to be you, but I should have known you wouldn't want to go to a fancy place for dinner," he admitted as he pulled over and stopped the car.

"Enjolras, what are you doing?"

"You choose where we go," Enjolras said seriously. He wasn't mocking her or being sarcastic, he was being a friend. "I don't care what kind of food you want, I don't care how far away it is." Eponine wasn't sure if she should listen to him, but she still swapped seats with and gripped the steering wheel of Enjolras' new Mercedes.

That's how the pair found themselves clutching to-go happy meals as Eponine led Enjolras into a dark alleyway.

"Is this safe?" Enjolras questioned.

"Would I ever steer you wrong?" Eponine asked rhetorically, but Enjolras responded anyways.

"Yes," he grunted.

"Well, I'm definitely not going to."

"What if my car gets stolen?"

"It won't! What happened to the 'I don't care where we eat?' Anyway, this street is completely abandoned. My father and his gang took over this area a couple years back and you would have to have nerves of steel to dare cross a Thenardier's territory alive," Eponine said, but Enjolras felt like she was lying.

Enjolras gulped. "We are here, can't your father's gang they hurt us?"

"Course not, if anyone from my father's gang happens to be over here, they know to leave me alone. Even if they do approach us, I could beat them to within an inch of their life. Stop your worrying, we'll be fine; I come here all the time."

"You come here a lot?" Enjolras asked quietly, afraid to let his voice rise above a whisper. He surveyed the area; it definitely wasn't the most beautiful place in New York. The dilapidated alley smelled like a sewer, and cobwebs lined the walls to make it look like they were in a haunted house. Fortunately, it was still light enough to see where they were going, otherwise Enjolras probably wouldn't have agreed to come down the old alleyway. Finally, the alley opened up a bit and the street was lined with old buildings, all of them appeared to be caving in. The setting sun cast an eerie gleam over the world, and Enjolras wished they could turn around.

"We're here," Eponine grinned as she sprinted to a ramshackle hotel. Enjolras followed in pursuit, though he wasn't happy about it. "We're gonna go in here-"

"You want to _go in _that? The building looks like it will crumble if you poke it!" Enjolras said, nervously clutching his Happy Meal.

"You said you didn't care where we eat," Eponine reminded him again in a sing-song voice.

"Fine, but next time _I'm _picking where we eat," Enjolras muttered without thinking. Eponine's heart soared when she heard Enjolras say 'next time.'

"Okay, whatever. Now follow me," Eponine said as she slipped inside the building. The first thing Enjolras noticed was a grand, sweeping chandelier that hung from the dark ceiling; it looked like Spiderman had paid that chandelier a visit, much like the rest of the hotel. Everything seemed to be drenched in creepy spider webs. The reception would have once been a magnificent, mahogany desk, but now it was splintering and appeared to be fragile. A flourishing staircase enveloped in a red carpet was situated right underneath the chandelier. Enjolras could tell that this could have been a glamorous hotel at one time, but now it looked _worse _than the Hollywood Tower Hotel from the Tower of Terror in Hollywood Studios.

"Eponine, this is basically the perfect setting for a horror film or a murder; I am fond of neither of those things," Enjolras commented, chewing on his lip. Eponine just rolled her eyes and chuckled.

"Hurry up the staircase, it's probably fine but I don't want it to collapse," Eponine teased. Enjolras crossed his arms in annoyance when as she poked fun of him. "C'mon, relax."

She lead Enjolras up the large, marble staircase and they reached a small hallway with a flight of stairs on the left, elevators on the right, and a sitting area that was currently occupied by spiders in the center. They went to the left and hopped up the spiral staircase. Enjolras disliked this part; it was pitch black. However, he grabbed his phone out of his pocket and pulled up his flashlight app for illumination. He vaguely heard Eponine mutter 'wimp,' but he didn't care.

Finally, after a couple minutes of stair climbing, Eponine stopped and pushed open a door that lead them into a hallway. The floors were white marble with red carpets, and the walls were an elegant white, black, and gold print. The doors were so filthy that the white looked yellow, and some of the golden placards that bore room numbers on them had fallen off.

They reached the end of the hallway and Eponine climbed through the already open window; the glass had been completely ripped out.

"Wait a minute, we're going to crawl _out the window?_" Enjolras demanded deliriously. He looked like a frightened child.

"Of course, you didn't think we were going to sit around this old hotel, did you? No! We're going to the roof," Eponine explained as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. Enjolras gulped.

Eponine balanced her feet on the ledge and hoisted herself out of sight above the window.

"I'm coming," Enjolras called, quite unsure of himself. Eponine stuck her head back into view upside down, her dark curls were so long they touched the bottom of the empty window.

"Do you trust me?" Eponine asked seriously, and Enjolras regarded her for a moment before responding truthfully.

"Yes." With that, he willed himself to walk forward and ease himself onto the ledge. The roof was flat and it looked pretty easy to get up to, but the fall was a long way. Enjolras was determined to _not _look down, and he threw his upper body around the ledge, all while balancing his happy meal box in his mouth.

Suddenly, a petit hand grabbed onto to the man and helped him up.

"Thanks," Enjolras nodded, slightly out of breath; not because of the exercise, but out of fear. "Sorry, I've just never been a fan of heights."

"Understandable. First time I came up here, I was shaking in my bones. Of course, that was a long time ago," Eponine said, not talk to Enjolras but to herself.

"You sound like you come here frequently- why?" Enjolras asked, but Eponine didn't answer. Instead, she carefully sat down and laid her food out.

"Join me," she ordered, and Enjolras plopped down next to her. "Isn't it beautiful?"

Enjolras had to agree; the view they had was beyond beautiful. The sun had almost set in the sky, but it still lingered in the horizon. Orange, pink, and red painted the sky around the dying sun, and purple and blue clung to the space away from it. Everything was crystal clear from the top of the hotel, and Enjolras could see the entire city. Outlines of skyscrapers dotted his vision; no matter how many artists tried to draw this moment, _nothing _would ever equal its beauty. Part of the experience was the smell. In the city, it smelled like pollution, taxis, and smoke. Here the air was pure and Enjolras couldn't get enough of it. Plus, the smell of his McDonald's wafted in the air as well and made his stomach growl.

"Eponine, this is incredible," he breathed, finally taking in the scenery.

"You see how you can only half of the sun is visible on the horizon? After it reaches that point, I feel like it sinks so fast. If you look away for a minute or two, it will be completely gone by the time you look back," Eponine mused, not taking her eyes of the sun.

Enjolras glanced at the sun, but found he couldn't take his eyes of Eponine. The colors of the sky cast a stunning glow on her face, and her hair shimmered with an orange hue. Her eyes sparkled as she watched the sun slip further and further away.

If Eponine felt him staring at her, she didn't react. Only when the sun had completely disappeared did she look up.

"This is my favorite part of the entire day, right now, when the sunset is over," Eponine said, beckoning to the sky.

"Why? Don't you like the sunset and how it bursts with color?" Enjolras asked, glancing at the sky. He didn't see anything special about it. The color had completely drained from it and it looked dull and gray.

"Yes, I love the sunset, but _this… _Well, I don't have to explain myself to you," Eponine shrugged as she gazed at the sky.

"No, do tell," Enjolras urged. Eponine sighed and spared a quick look at Enjolras before returning her attention to the sky.

"Fine, I like this part of day because most people ignore it. Kids are already sleeping, teens are probably off texting somewhere, and adults are eating dinner. No one comes outside right after a sunset; this is when they go inside. After the sun is set, the colors of the sky go with the sun. But the sky isn't empty without them; I think this is when its true beauty shows. The sky hasn't turned black yet, no stars have made their debut, but you can always faintly see the moon. The gray sky casts a warm and familiar shadow over the entire city that changes the color of the world, and people take it for granted," Eponine said quickly. "Just like people take me for granted," she added quietly.

Enjolras didn't have anything to say to that, so he said nothing. Eponine appreciated this skill; she hated it when people talked just to kill the silence. She and Enjolras could sit in the same room for hours and if neither had anything to say, they wouldn't say a word, and the silence would be comfortable.

Enjolras noticed Eponine's tiny body shaking, and he took off his jacket and wrapped it around her. Eponine had to keep herself from groaning at the cliché action, but she bit her tongue because she knew Enjolras was bred to be an impeccable gentleman. Also, deep down, the small action made her giddy.

"You know, when I was a kid, I used to want to travel the world. I still do," Enjolras offered, not particularly expecting a response.

"I did too. I think everyone wants to see the whole world at some point in their life," Eponine agreed. "My dream now is to be a Broadway star, but before that, I wanted nothing more than to travel as far away from New York as possible. It's ironic, in a way, most people come to New York for a new beginning but I used to feel like it was…"

"Holding me back," Enjolras finished. Eponine noted how he said 'me' instead of 'you.' She knew that if she remained silent he would share his thoughts with her, and sure enough, he did.

"I used to think that as long as I was here, my parents could control me. I wanted to go everywhere, especially Europe. France always seemed like my destiny, but I never went. When I involved myself in school and charities and revolts, I got distracted from that dream."

"Funny, I've always wanted to go to France as well. I used to teach myself how to speak in French, but I don't remember any of it. Anyway, _you _can still go to France, God knows you have enough money. You Enjolras' probably have your own private jet," Eponine snickered.

"Yeah, but my parents won't let me use it anymore," Enjolras grumbled.

"Wait! You for real have a private jet? _Why _did you never mention that?" Eponine said as she wacked his shoulder.

"I'm sorry it never came up! That sounds like a great way to start a conversation: 'Hello, my name is Enjolras and I have a private jet. Do you want to be my friend?'" Enjolras chuckled.

"Whatever, one day, you are going to take me to Paris in your private jet," Eponine requested.

"Yeah, only problem is: I'm not allowed to use it!"

"Okay, fine. One day you are going to take me to Paris, not on your private jet, but on first class in a regular airplane."

"First class, really? You are going to make me broke!" Enjolras joked.

"Sorry, but it's the price you must pay," Eponine retorted. The laughter slowly slid off Enjolras' face and he got a businesslike look in his eye.

"I swear on my life, I will take you to Paris, France before the end of the year. First class tickets included," he stated.

"Enjy, I was kidding. You don't have to take me to Paris. You already got me the Elphaba audition, I could never ask more of you," Eponine murmured, her mood rapidly changing.

"Really, it's just pocket change. I _want _to take you, Ep. Even if you don't want to go, I'm still buying a plane ticket for you. It's up to you to decide if you want to come, but there will be an empty seat next to me if you don't go."

"Aw, c'mon. This is a big deal, a trip to France isn't something to be made on a whim! Plus what about everything in New York? School, charity, rebellions?" Eponine said, cocking an eyebrow before finishing off the last of her McDonald's fries.

"In my entire life, I have never missed a day of school or taken a break from helping my charities or planning revolts and protests. I think that I deserve on little vacation, don't you? Plus, I've never had anyone to travel with me before, and now I have you."

"What about Les Amis?"

"If I took one, I would have to take them all."

"Fair point," Eponine sighed.

"So, you wanna come with me to France?"

"We'll see."

Silence once again settled around them, but it was a good silence. Enjolras was itching to wrap his arm around Eponine, but he couldn't pluck up the courage. Moves like that could certainly make things different between them.

Stars started to appear in the sky, and Eponine got up without a word.

"Leaving already?" Enjolras called out to her.

"You know it," Eponine said distractedly as she lowered herself into the building.

"Aren't you gonna wait for me? I do have the car, after all."

"Nope, my apartments extremely close by, I'm gonna walk," Eponine replied, her head vanishing from sight.

"What if I can't find my way out?" Enjolras asked. He knew he could find his way back, he had a near photographic memory. He wanted Eponine to stay longer.

"You'll be fine," Eponine said, her feet landing on the old carpet inside the hotel.

"Okay, will you at least answer my earlier question? Why do you come here so much?" Enjolras asked, inching towards the edge of the roof. He heard the window creak as Eponine put her weight on it once more.

"You really want to know where we are? I admit, I lied earlier when I said this was just some area that my father claimed a couple years ago." Ah, the truth. "This is where I grew up; this is my parent's old hotel."

Enjolras could see a flash of brown hair and then nothing else in the darkness of the night.

**A/N: Did you see that coming? And also, do you think Enjolras was serious about the plane tickets to France? YAY FOR ME I AM POSTING THIS ON THE ROYAL BABY'S BIRTHDAY! CONGRATS TO WILLIAM AND KATE!**


	11. She's Got a Ticket to Ride

**A/N: Yay another update! Sorry if my updating this summer has been irregular, time just flies by when you are on vacation. Les Mis is not mine, but Simon Strider is. I made him up: he is not the current Fiyero. Also: SHERLOCKIANS AND WHOVIANS PM ME ABOUT OUR BREAKTHROUGHS I NEED TO TALK ABOUT THE FEELS! THE TEASER TRAILER AND PETER! AHHHHHHH**

Some people forget little promises they make, but Enjolras always went through on his word. Granted, he seldom promised things, but that meant that his few promises were special to him. So it shouldn't have surprised Eponine when he slipped her a first class plane ticket to France a couple weeks later.

"Enjy, I can't take this. This ticket cost a lot of money and I could never repay you. Plus _I _have work that I cannot miss, and if I get the part of Elphaba by some miracle, then I will have to devote my time to rehearsals," Eponine sighed shoving the ticket back into Enjolras' hands.

"I can pull a few strings…" Enjolras tempted, waving the ticket in front of her face but Eponine swatted him away.

"I don't care, I can't go to France with you. Ask Gav to go with you, I'm sure he would love a change of scene," Eponine grumbled.

"Aw c'mon, Ep. It's only 5 days! I know you've worked harder than anyone I've ever met, you deserve this vacation and I do, too. See? I just admitted I need a break, now you do the same," Enjolras said.

"I _don't _need a break. If anything, I need to work more! I have my final callback in three weeks, and they've eliminated it down to three other girls. I need to _practice_. When are you planning on going, anyways?" Eponine asked.

"In a month and a half, and you are coming too," Enjolras said with finality.

"If I get the part, I will have started rehearsals," Eponine countered, her argument standing strong.

"Fine, let's make a deal. You keep the ticket for now, but if you decide not to go, just give it to Gav."

"I'm just gonna hand it to him now, I already know that I'm not going."

"Lots can change in a month and a half, just hold on to your ticket now and make your decision later," Enjolras begged.

"Fine. I got to get back to work now." Enjolras filled with joy; he knew Eponine would end up coming on the plane with him. The opportunity to go to Paris would be too great for her; plus she and Enjolras had become inseparable in recent light. Their friendship was undeniably strong (some of Les Amis suspected that they were more than friends), and Eponine trusted Enjolras. Her friendship meant everything to Enjolras.

In fact, sometimes he wished it were more than a friendship. He couldn't deny his attraction to her; to her beauty, wits, and talent. She had the best conversation out of anyone he knew, but she also knew when to respect the silence. He feared, however, that if he confessed his feelings that Eponine wouldn't return them, and their friendship would be terminated.

Enjolras scanned the room for Eponine and they made eye contact. She made a goofy face at him, and he returned it by sticking his tongue out. Soon enough, they had a silent exchange going, and Eponine almost didn't notice a man approaching her.

"Excuse me," a male voice said behind Eponine right as she felt a tap on her shoulder. "Sorry to disrupt your… whatever that was. My name is Simon Strider and I am the current Fiyero. I listened to all the possible Elphaba's voices, and yours is by far the best. Everyone is leaning towards you. I recognized you immediately from your picture Eponine, correct?"

"Correct," Eponine said, her mind racing a thousand miles away. They actually liked her voice? Leaning towards her to be the next Eponine? Simon cleared his throat and snapped Eponine out of her thoughts. "Sorry, that just took me by surprise. I never thought they would have chosen me!"

"You're my favorite," Simon said flirtatiously. Eponine focused on him for the first time and couldn't help but notice his looks. His beauty rivaled Enjolras', but secretly to Eponine, Enjolras would always be the most handsome man in the universe. His dark brown hair was casually messy, his bright green eyes were focused like a hawk's, and he possessed a megawatt grin.

"Appreciate it," Eponine said breathlessly. Simon's smile spread further across his face.

"You are more beautiful in person than you are in your picture," he said earnestly, taking Eponine by surprise… again. A blush blossomed across Eponine's cheeks, but she felt no desire to smile back. She didn't like it when strangers complimented her. Simon's cheeriness slipped a little when he noticed her negative reaction.

"I apologize; that was too forward. I just met you and now I look like an idiot. It's just that you are the loveliest lady I have ever had the pleasure to speak to before," Simon said, his charm never faltering. Eponine forgave him immediately; mostly because she was still on cloud nine in spite of the Elphaba news.

"I was wondering if you wanted to have coffee sometime. I can give you tips for the final audition and tell you what to expect," Simon offered. A normal girl might have thrown her arms around Simon for that, but Eponine just gave him a small smile. That little action from her was a big deal.

"That would be perfect! Thank you, Simon," Eponine said calmly.

Across the room, Enjolras was boiling. When Eponine smiled at the alluring stranger, Enjolras felt jealousy tear at his insides; it had taken forever to get her to truly smile at him. Next, after they had traded cell phone numbers, Enjolras began pondering ways to interfere the exchange. Finally, he had it when the man kissed Eponine's cheek. A _complete _stranger just kissed her cheek like it was nothing. Nothing! Enjolras would _never _cross a boundary like that; he knew Eponine had trust issues, to say the least, and she liked having personal space.

A smug grin plastered his face when Eponine scowled at the contact.

Not soon enough, the man exited the diner with a tip of the hat and was lost in the hustle and bustle of New York. Eponine, sporting a dazed grin, ran up to Enjolras with bright eyes.

"Enjolras, has the world stopped spinning? I think there is a glitch in the universe, for sure. I feel… I've never been so happy. The most wonderful thing just happened… Ugh, I sound like Marius… The stars are definitely shining on me…" Eponine rambled cheerfully, causing Enjolras' heart to sink to his feet.

"Let me guess, you're in love with that man," Enjolras grumbled. Eponine regarded him like he was insane.

"No, I just met him. I thought you knew me better than that; I have to get to know the person before I even consider being friends with them," Eponine said blatantly.

"Was Marius ever your friend? Or did you love him at first sight? Is he special?" Enjolras said sarcastically.

"That's a low blow. Of course you don't even care about my news."

"I'm sorry, Ep. I do care about your news; what is it?" Enjolras said with an apologetic tone.

"Okay, now I _know _the world has gone crazy. Did you just say you're sorry?" Eponine chuckled.

"I don't want to fight with you; I want to hear your news."

"Now _you _sound like Marius-"

"Don't make this difficult," Enjolras warned.

"Sure, whatever. The man I just met was named Simon Strider, he's the current Fiyero in Wicked and he said that the casting directors liked me the most! And even better: he offered to give me some tips over coffee? Isn't he so nice?"

"The nicest!" Enjolras said with fake enthusiasm.

"Jealous, much?"

"No. It's just that I have a bad feeling about this Strider guy," Enjolras muttered.

"Hey, _you _haven't even met him yet. I exchanged like two sentences with him; I barely know the guy. Don't worry about him, it's not like I want to date him or anything. Plus I haven't lost sight of the one man in my life who matters the most."

"Gavroche." There wasn't any drop of doubt in Enjolras' tone.

"Well yes, but I wasn't thinking about Gav actually… I meant _you, _stupid. You and your manly manliness," Eponine said, tweaking his nose. Enjolras was in awe that Eponine considered him to be the most important man in her life; pride swelled in his chest and roared like a lion. His face beamed down at hers.

"Really? You are easily the best woman in my life," Enjolras said honestly.

"Yeah, more like the _only _woman in your life."

"Eh, I've heard it both ways."

**LINE BREAK WOOOHOOOO**

Simon Strider had to be the most disarming man in this entire universe. His smooth words and entracing presence were too strong to be ignored. Eponine admired his honesty, humor, cleverness, and appreciation for Broadway. Over coffee, they talked about their Broadway dreams, and Simon gave her some awesome tips.

"I know you'll do great, Eponine," Simon assured. "People like you really go far."

"Thank you, your vote of confidence really means a lot," Eponine replied. After talking to him, she had a feeling that she had met the man before. Now that she thought about it, she recognized him from Wicked, but she couldn't shake the feeling she had seen him somewhere else, which could be extremely bad if he knew her from her days at the hotel.

"Hey, no problem. I have to be honest: I had a lot of fun with you today. What do you say to me taking you to dinner tomorrow night?" Simon asked.

"Umm… I would say yes, but I have plans with Enjolras."

"Who's Enjo… Enj… Whatever-his-face-is? Is he the boyfriend? I might have known there is always some man."

"Enjolras, and he's my _best _friend, not boyfriend." Eponine with a twinge of regret in her voice.

"Hmm… Should I be jealous?"

Jealous? Why would he be envious? Eponine wasn't an idiot; she could tell that this Simon guy was flirting with her, but did he seriously want to date her? Eponine liked it when people were clear with their intentions and didn't leave her guessing; like Enjolras.

"No, I don't think so. I mean, any guy should want to have his looks, smarts, and common sense. He's a great guy. We are such good friends because we understand each other, and we know that at best we will always be there for each other, and at worse, if something happens to one of us, that we were immensely lucky to ever be graced with such a good friendship."

"Wow, sounds like you have been friends for quite some time. How many years has it been?"

"Weelll… I've been friends with his group of friends, Les Amis, for a couple years, but I never really met Enjolras. I had seen him around the café when we would all hang out, but I didn't become friends with him until a few months ago. But time doesn't matter; when you just click with someone, time seems to stop."

"It doesn't sound like you are merely describing a friendship, Eponine," Simon said in a warning tone.

"No! That's all it is, I swear," Eponine said persuasively.

"I see," he replied in disbelief.

"Oh yeah? I'll prove it to you! I'm gonna go out on a date with you tomorrow night and completely blow off Enjy! He'll be fine on his own," Eponine said with a triumphant smirk.

"Great, I knew you had it in you."

**LINE BREAK LINE BREAK**

"I think I just got stood up," Enjolras said into his cellphone with a heavy sigh. He had been waiting for Eponine to show up to dinner for an hour. She was usually (always) late, so he had told her to come at 7:45 instead of 8 in hopes that she would be on time. So technically, she was an hour and fifteen minutes late.

"She still hasn't shown up? Man, I'm sorry," Grantaire replied.

"I tried calling her but she didn't answer. I guess something came up and she forgot to call me," Enjolras worried, trying not to think about all the bad things that could have happened to her.

"I can try calling her, but I don't know if that will do any good. Give Combeferre a quick call and see if he has seen or heard from her," Grantaire said, and the phone line went dead with a 'click.'

"Combeferre? Is Eponine with you?" Enjolras said when Combeferre picked up.

"No… Why? I thought she was with you tonight," Combeferre replied.

"Oh God… She over an hour late, she hasn't contacted me, she won't answer her phone… This isn't like her at all. What if- What… Oh God, 'Ferre, what if _her father's gang has her? _I know in past-"

"This is serious, mon ami. Do you really think her father has her? We should contact the police!"

"Let's wait a little bit before we do that. If no one has heard from her by tomorrow then- hang on I'm getting another call from Grantaire. He said he tried to call Ep, I'll see if he got a hold of her," Enjolras said switching lines.

"Okay, this is gonna make you mad, so just… get it out of your system before you freak out. Eponine's fine, which is the important news-"

Upon hearing of Eponine's safety, Enjolras clutched his phone to his chest and let out a sigh of relief. She was safe!

"… and so she didn't want to call you. Are you angry?" Grantaire asked, but Enjolras had missed everything he said.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't listening. Can you repeat all of that over again?"

"Uh, sure. So, this guy named Simon helped her yesterday with her final audition for Elphaba and I guess she felt really grateful or something because he asked her out on a date and she said yes, and that's where she is right now. I'm real sorry; she blew you off for Simon. She saw you calling and she said she didn't want to answer your call right there, but she says she promises she will explain when she gets back."

"Why would she talk to you and not me?" Enjolras asked, talking to himself.

"I don't know, but how furious are you?"

His only answer was the line beep dead.

**A/N: I hate Simon…**


	12. I Know You Know

**A/N: As for Simon… don't get too used to the guy…. Also, creds to anyone who knows where the title of this chapter comes from!**

Eponine was exhausted after her date, and she was ready to kick off her shoes and jump into bed when she got home. She was _not_, however, expecting an explosion of infuriated words to be shot her way. A flash of blonde and red came at her, but the most frightening part was the horrified expression that was captured in a pair of stormy blue eyes.

"YOU COULD HAVE CALLED!" Enjolras shouted, placing one hand next to Eponine's face against the door and the other in his hair, effectively cornering her. "I THOUGHT YOUR FATHER HAD GOTTEN YOU! I WAS GOING TO GET THE POLICE! AND THEN GRANTAIRE TELLS ME YOU WERE FINE ALL ALONG AND YOU DIDN'T EVEN WANT TO ANSWER MY CALL! WHY WOULD YOU TALK TO HIM AND NOT ME?"

"God, Enjolras, just because I don't show up doesn't mean my father has me. I meant to call bu-"

"I don't want any excuses right now," Enjolras breathed, suddenly calm and expressionless which was even worse than the shouting. "I just hope you never feel as hopeless and scared as I felt when I thought something had happened to you."

"If you are trying to make me feel guilty it won't work."

She was met with no response. Enjolras' normally passionate eyes lacked any emotion; like a hearth without a fire.

"Let me at least tell you what happened. I went on a date with Simon Strider because he thought you and I were dating and I felt like I had to prove him wrong. On the date, I saw you calling and Simon noticed the caller ID and that raised his suspicions again, so I acted like it wasn't a big deal and I didn't answer it. I meant to call you earlier, but I forgot."

Enjolras shifted his weight and bore his eyes unto Eponine's.

"I cannot believe you just abandoned me like that. I thought that you would have the decency to at least call if you were going to change plans; naturally I worried. Honestly, if I was over an hour late and hadn't called beforehand and didn't answer any of your calls, wouldn't you assume the worst? I _know _you have a dangerous past and I had a gut feeling that it had caught up to you," Enjolras said coldly. Eponine cringed at the ice in his voice, but was grateful for the small display of emotion. She wanted to snap back at him for just 'figuring' things, but she was exhausted from fighting and didn't have the energy.

"Next time I'll call," Eponine said, fatigue taking over her body. Tears pricked her eyes for no reason and she knew that she needed to sleep. Enjolras must have noticed the slight change in her, and his marble expression cracked a little.

"I know I freaked out, I was just so worried," Enjolras admitted, his voice catching a little bit. Eponine felt awful; she didn't mean to make him panic. She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around her best friend.

"It won't happen again, I promise. We should reschedule our dinner, though. Any day works for you?" Eponine asked, her voice slurred with drowsiness.

"I don't know, I'm busy tomorrow night with a protest… How about next Friday?"

"Um… That doesn't work for me. Simon is taking me to go see a movie next Friday."

"Wait, he's taking you out _again_?"

"Yep."

For the first time, an awkward silence hit Eponine and Enjolras like a sack of potatoes.

"Oh, um, t-that's nice," Enjolras said, clearing his throat.

"Yep. He's a nice guy."

"I'll have to look at my schedule before we make any dinner plans, but I'll text you a date later. I should, um, go now. It's pretty late," Enjolras said curtly before jetting off into the night.

Eponine was angry. At herself. At Simon. At Enjolras.

Why did she agree to go out with Simon again when it was clearly hurting Enjolras? Eponine would do anything for Enjolras, but whenever she was around Simon all she wanted to do was say 'yes.' He was so convincing, Eponine figured he could get her to jump off a bridge. Ack, everything was so messed up.

Finally, she couldn't keep her eyes open any longer, and she barely made it to her bed before she passed out into a deep sleep.

**LINE BREAKKKKKKKKKKKKK**

Eponine was disappointed when Enjolras didn't show up at the diner for lunch, even though the rest of Les Amis made an appearance. They had started to become regulars now (seriously; Grantaire had a drink named after him at the bar, Enjolras had a salad named after him, and Courfeyrac had a taco named him). She didn't know what she should have expected after the fight last night, but a part of her wished that he would come anyways.

"Grantaire, do you know where Enjolras is?" Eponine asked, trying not to sound suspicious or upset.

"Yeah, he's trying out a new restaurant a couple blocks over. He said he needed a change of scene," Grantaire said casually, but the news was a harsh blow to Eponine.

_Stop it, _she reprimanded herself_, Enjolras is a grown man who is allowed to eat wherever he wants. You sound ridiculous! _

"Well, I hope he comes back soon! He's our best customer!" Eponine said, but she knew she sounded like an automatic robot. She simpered to Grantaire to try and make light of Enjolras' absence, and somehow it managed to fool Grantaire. He was probably too drunk to notice.

"Hey Ep, it looks like your boyfriend is here!" Grantaire said, tripping over his words.

"Ugh, Enjolras is _not _my boyfriend," Eponine said shaking her head, assuming Grantaire had spotted Enjolras walk in. She was relieved that he had shown up after all!

However… When she turned around, it wasn't Enjolras standing there, but Simon.

"I meant Simon; God, you don't even know who you are dating."

"Hey! Simon isn't my boyfriend either!"

"Well, you two seem to be dating. He's probably come here to make things official."

Before Eponine could get another word in, Simon approached Eponine and gently grabbed her arm.

"I talked to your boss, she said you could take an hour off for lunch with me now. She couldn't resist Fiyero," Simon said with a wink. Eponine smiled graciously at him; she needed a break. She saluted Grantaire goodbye and followed Simon out of the diner. "I thought we could get some hotdogs and eat them in Central Park, sound good?"

It did, indeed, sound good.

Twenty minutes later, Eponine and Simon had purchased hot dogs and selected a nice boulder to sit on while they ate.

"I can't wait for you to be the new Elphaba. We already have fantastic chemistry offstage, and it will definitely improve our performance onstage. I'm sure by then, we will have gotten the kiss down," Simon flirted. Eponine forced herself to keep her smile plastered to her face; she hated when people sweet talked her. She preferred Enjolras' yelling to this.

_Stop thinking about Enjolras!_

"You sound so sure that I'll get the part."

"Oh, but I know you will. You will be the best Elphaba of all time!"

"Better than the original: Idina Menzel?"

"Better."

"You're lying," Eponine accused.

"I just have a lot of faith in you. There is no way you won't be the next Elphie." Simon scooted closer and wrapped his arm around Eponine. That's right, he did 'the move.' Eponine tensed at his touch, but Simon didn't notice.

"Wait, I think you dropped something," Simon said suddenly, picking up a small, rectangular piece of paper. Eponine examined the paper before snatching it back roughly.

"Eponine, why do you have a plane ticket to France?" Simon asked, cocking his eyebrow. Eponine groaned into her palms.

"I'm not going."

"That wasn't the question I asked; why do you have a plane ticket to France?" Sometimes it would startle Eponine how Simon could shift his demeanor so fast; one minute he would be cheery and the next he would be creepy in a forced happily way, like the Joker.

"Um, a friend gave it to me but I don't think I'll actually go."

"Was that friend Enjolras?" Simon asked, but Eponine already knew he knew the answer.

"_Stop always bringing up Enjolras! _I mean, he's just one guy. Don't you worry about him now or ever because nothing romantic will ever go on between us. Him and me, me and him will never be. That kid is going places; I know he's gonna save the world one day by ending world hunger or something, but I'll never do anything like that. I'm just an anchor that weighs him down! Yesterday while he was stuck waiting and worrying for me, he could have been doing something worthwhile, but I slowed him down. That is exactly why it will never work between us; not now, not ever," Eponine ranted.

"So it was Enjolras," Simon said in a whisper, a far off look in his eye. "I'm sorry, I guess I can be the jealous boyfriend type." The word boyfriend sank to the bottom of Eponine's stomach.

"We're official, then?" she asked.

"As long as you want to be."

Eponine didn't let herself think before she replied yes.

And when Simon wrapped his arm around her shoulder, she didn't see him cross his fingers behind her back.

**A/N: So guess what just started? SCHOOL! And guess what that means? More regular updates I think! I hope… **


	13. I Can't Get No Satisfaction

**A/N: I apologize for the shortness of this chapter.**

In the next three weeks, Eponine grew closer to Simon and further away from Enjolras. She didn't intend to let their friendship slip, but she didn't have enough time to talk with him between practicing for her audition and her time with Simon. On the other hand, Enjolras appeared to be sulking and he wasn't exactly making the best effort to stay in touch with Eponine either. He did make an exception on the day of Eponine's audition because he knew it meant a lot to her, and it meant a lot to him as well.

"Hey, Ep. Today's the day isn't it?" Enjolras asked somewhat awkwardly. Their friendship had been feeling… off, and both of them noticed the change. It wasn't drastic, but Enjolras didn't like the uneasy feeling that he felt when he was around her.

"It is," Eponine said reservedly. Despite her efforts to hide it, Enjolras could hear the fear in her voice.

"I know you must be terrified, but I know you will get the part. I've always had faith in you, and I've watched you grow so much in the past few months. Even your singing improved, and I didn't think that was possible. Just go out there and do your best, and if your best isn't good enough for them, screw them."

"Thanks for the pep talk, Enjy. I needed that." Enjolras grinned to himself when Eponine called him 'Enjy.'

"Do you need me to drive you there?" Enjolras asked, but then wished he hadn't. _Simon _was most definitely driving her.

"No, I have a ride." She didn't even need to say who it was.

"Do you want me to come?"

"Oh, God, yes." Enjolras' grin stretched from ear to ear.

"Even if you said no, I'd still come."

"I know."

**LINE BREAK**

Those eight minutes of Eponine's audition were the longest eight minutes of Eponine and Enjolras' life. Enjolras waited outside the door for Eponine (he was not-so-secretly glad that Simon had to get to his own rehearsals and couldn't stay and wait for Eponine), and he couldn't stop pacing back and forth, a nervous habit of his. He could hear Eponine's voice, muffled by the closed door, but he wished he could see her performing and the reactions of the casting directors. He knew that they would love her.

Finally, after what felt like a millennium, the heavy door swung open and out walked a red faced Eponine, her eyes bright and her smile wide.

"I did it."

"You got the part?" Enjolras asked, confusion catching him off-guard.

"No! I just meant that I got the audition over with and actually did _really well. _They loved me, Enjy. I-I've never felt so happy before!" she said, smiling the most authentic and blissful smile of all time. She ran forward and jumped into Enjolras' arms, and he caught her and spun her around.

"I'm so proud of you," he whispered into her ear, sending shivers down her spine. Their eyes met, their faces so close that their breaths mingled and noses almost touched. Enjolras could easily kiss her, and oh boy how he wanted to, but he knew she was dating another man and he would never take a chance like that and ruin their friendship. Instead, he just pulled her in for a brief hug and then kept her at an arm's length.

"Thanks for being here. I wish Simon could've come too; I think you and him would be good friends if you got the chance to talk."

"Yeah maybe…"

"Excuse me, I'm just gonna go call him and tell him my audition went well." Eponine gave Enjolras a quick, friendly kiss on the cheek before sprinting off down the hall leaving Enjy alone to his thoughts.

**LINE BREAK **

"Eponine, if you stare at your phone any harder, it's gonna explode," Grantaire teased.

"Five days. It's been five days and nothing. Nada. Zilch. Zero. Forget ab-"

"Okay, I get it, they haven't called you. I'm sure they… They probably… Eh, just stop worrying about it, 'kay?" Courfeyrac asked, effectively cutting Eponine off.

"I bet they will call any minute now," Prouvaire assured.

"You don't know that!" Eponine screamed hysterically.

"God, woman. They can't give away Broadway roles to mentally unstable people," Grantaire teased.

"What?! You're crazy. I am _not _mentally unstable. It's not like I've had 10 cups of coffee today or anything. Stop it! I'm totally fine. I can still get the part! And if I don't, it's not the end of the world, right? Right? RIGHT?!"

"Of _course _it isn't the end of the world sweetie," Prouvaire placated.

"You can try out again for Elphaba later if you don't get it this time. There are other roles out there, too, if you don't get this one."

"Oh, so you don't think I'll get the part, do you Courf? I know exactly where you live so-"

"Okay, Eponine, let's just calm down," Enjolras said approaching his friends, gently taking the plastic knife out of Eponine's hand. "Repeat after me: knives are for cutting _food_ not our _friends_."

"I was _not _going to injure anyone, gosh," Eponine scoffed.

"Well I wouldn't be so-"

Enjolras was cut off midsentence by a loud noise.

"Is that the TARDIS? Has the Doctor come for me?" Grantaire asked excitedly upon hearing the TARDIS swooshing noise.

"No you idiot it's my ph… It's my… IT'S MY FREAKING PHONE!" Eponine screamed grabbing her phone. "Hello?"

"Hello, is this Eponine Thenardier?"

"Yes…"

"Congratulations, Elphaba. This is Charlotte Smith, the casting director of Wicked."

**A/N: Yay Eppy got the part! Sorry I have been MIA for so long! My internet and computer broke and it was the most frustrating thing ever. I'm back now!**


End file.
